The Ghost and the Obviously Crazy child
by BetweenTheSeaAndStars
Summary: What if Naruto hadn't been left alone as a child? What could a woman with only the vaguest knowledge of Naruto, who didn't try to hold onto her memories so now they were more like dejavu, do to change things? Existing was a huge start.Wait until Uncle Ibiki and Inoichi stepped in.. Semi S/I OC with a twist, Pairing undecided. Heavy messing with the timelines Utterly non Canon
1. It begins a prelude

The ghost and the obviously crazy child

What if Naruto hadn't been left alone as a child? What could a woman with only the vaguest knowledge of Naruto, who didn't try to hold onto her memories so now they were more like dejavu, do to change things? Existing was a huge start. OC with a twist, Pairing undecided. Heavy messing with the timelines (expect everything to happen to people when they are few years older). Canon what Canon.

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The Naruto manga that ...she had known..was vague. Most important things, most memories were vague. She knew once her name had started with a V. Once she'd lived in a world of computers and internet and weapons of mass destruction. Of great generous souls who taught by example, often killed by the people they protected. She remembered the language English and the countries and small things. Foods mostly, and textures, and morals considered acceptable though often they fled. There were snippets of a school system and work and being almost middle aged but single..she'd had a bad relationship or two and no children. She remembered blonde hair and blue eyes and being soft..voluptuous others had said.

V knew those things. They'd just always been in the back of her mind, where some other children daydreamed she'd had these. They just were. They were true and it was something she knew. She also knew there'd been a manga, an anime perhaps..though to explain it was something that escaped her completely. But the point was she knew it had mimicked this world just enough to make her pay attention more then she would have without those dreams that she knew were real. And what had remained of V, had instead of dragging up anything it could possibly recall...instead had nudged her. Forced her to focus, to pay attention, but faded.

You can only live in one world at a time after all.

These days, and perhaps always..always..V was instead known as Anrui. Or Rikka-chan to some. The Ikiryo clan were distantly related to the Inuzuka, enough that they were usually thought to be the same clan. Actually, Anrui was used to being called Rikka Anrui- Inuzuka-chan. Which..was a mouthful. Only the few who knew better, and her Inuzuka cousins, called her Ikiyro. The Ikiryo were wanderers, lone wolves who explored and traveled. They were not more akin to Ronin then Shinobi, they still owed their loyalty to their clan and lesser extent their village after all. However, they were a breed apart. The cousins were rare, and known to be unable to harness the Inuzuka clan jutsu's and similar. They instead had their own specific clan traits and jutsu's that were useful. Anrui's father, Ryo, had been relatively unknown. He'd found a mate though, as her clan thought of partners, in a beautiful fiery Inuzuka who had lost her Nin-dog.

They'd bonded well and Anrui was the result. She carried Rikka's name as her middle name, and the Inuzuka tended to call her Rikka-chibi-chan. The little girl had greatly disliked it. Anrui was a bright if often..quiet (compared to the inuzuka kid's)..child. She read, and read voraciously. She studied and thought, often drew images that made no sense in an effort to calm her torrential minds. After all she did have V that was still settling into her memories. In the end, however, despite the blue markings on her face rather then Inuzuka red, they were Ikiryo blue, and her golden eyes that were undeniably wolfish. Anrui's hair was a brindled gray and blue coloration, bits of black and white against dark slate blue in many wild patterns set her apart. She was the wild wolf to the Inuzuka's dogs. Somehow, this did not trouble her.

V once remarked that she'd never heard of the Ikiryo though she knew the Inuzuka..barely..but the voice had faded over the years. Whomever she had once been as V, she was no longer. The whispers of thought and emotion though still were privately labled V to her, a friend, if one doomed to be forgotten. You could only live one life at a time..

Anrui found herself irritated most the time outside her clan. People spoke but didn't mean their words. They acted, they smiled or laughed, and meant none of it. Things were straightforward with Inuzuka, and though far more reserved, most the time, same with the Ikiryo. Though, there was only herself and her sire in Konoha, because of the Kyuubi. All the other known Ikiryo had perished that were not out exploring, and due to the ongoing conflicts there were few of those remaining. It was entirely plausible the only Ikiryo left were the two of them. Her mother was Inuzuka, and a breed apart, not having their bloodline jutsu's, instead having her own. It was the sole reason Ryo had spent hours pouring over scrolls explaining every idea, theory, and possible jutsu of teir family he'd ever heard even passingly referenced..just in case. Though her sire tried he could only prepare her so much for what came next. The academy.

It wasn't as if Anrui was that old. She was barely seven, it was the same year the Kyuubi had attacked, and yet because of the recent horrors, the academy was in severe teaching mode still. They were desperate to replace the lost teams, the lost manpower. So many ninja had been forced into desk jobs or retirement due to trauma that the able bodies were high in demand. It meant the pressure on students was much more strict. And Anrui, really blamed it on her bloodline and V..that she had issues with authority.

Which would be why she was currently tussling with a Hyuuga a year above her for trying to 'correct' her substitution Jutsu. Only he'd used it as an excuse to apply too much pressure to her hands. Huh. Seems Ochi-whatever she didn't care what his full name was- was still furious he couldn't beat her in Taijutsu. The problem lay in the fact that unlike her Inuzuka cousins, Ikiryo tended to be reserved and wait for their moment to strike. When they did have tempers set off though, they'd release it in a torrent that made even the Inuzuka cower with their tails between their legs and Ochi, had just always pissed her off. The smug Hyuuga stank, he was acrid and oily and all his special eyes did was make the stench worse. So when he'd applied pressure to her hands, which were still sore from his jabbing at her chakra points even if he didn't actualy close the points off, she'd snapped.

She could feel the startled eyes of her yearmates, and hear vaguely a number of her fellow students cheering her on. Her cousins being very loud about it. Still they knew better then any that when Anrui snapped, it was seemingly with no warning. They'd heard the faintest of growls, the tell tale stillness of her form that was a predator preparing rather then a ninja observing. Her favorite cousin, Tsume, was currently hooting loudly despite being a few years above her. She was about to graduate, but she was screeching out encouragement for her baby cousin who was utterly -thrashing- the Hyuuga. When Anrui leapt away finally, with a disdainful snort and started walking towards her teachers, she didn't even watch her back. Hyuuga Ochi wasn't going to be able to stand on his own for a while.

Where most clan children were open mouthed, and weren't the other Hyuuga and Uchiha and Yamanaka just horror filled..the Inuzuka all gave a soft chuffing sound as she passed by. They wouldn't express approval, not here, but it was no scolding Anrui would go home to. That is why she met the gaze of the angry teach with a smirk.

Ikiryo did not back down.

They also tended to get smacked around by fate for it. So it seemed to go hand in hand.

"Inuzuka Anrui..." The teacher began, his voice was frustrated. Young, new to the job. Anrui just gave him a look, not bothering to correct him. This was a favorite tactic of theres, scolding in front of peers. Shaming. It was effective. Well. On most. "You have disobeyed a crucial academy rule and.."

"Suspension over the fact that I had interference from someone who although skilled is not authorized to teach, nor was instructed to do so by one of the teachers?" Anrui interrupted casually. She could feel the silent 'Oooooh' from her classmates but she didn't do it for that, her eyes narrowed instead on her teacher. Her suspicion's had always been a good influence, and instinct was saying something was off. She wriggled her nose then and what she had missed before..

"KAI!"

The genjutsu broke and her eyes widened, looking around with a deep growl. "When I get my hands on you..Ibiki..."

The shaved head of her friend was there suddenly as the older man grinned down at her. "Yes, chibi?"

Anrui's huff and turning away spoke volumes, much to Inochi's amusement. They were far from T and I, and some of the only ninja who knew about her. "Do you have to do that?"

"Yes." Unspoken was the 'if I don't seem to pick on you people may forget your cover.' His monosyllabic answer caused Inochi to roll his eyes even as the three resumed drinking their tea. To anyone else, anyone outside of the highest level of trusted authority..which was essentially the Hokage and the two men with her, thought Anrui had dropped out of the academy. She'd never had a genin team, she'd been snapped up for specialized training. Not one of Danzo's, though he was curious about what of her abilities there were they were specifically needed to tie into her emotions and thus useless for his highest level of Anbu. Instead she was a very specific sort of information gatherer. She'd be assigned to very few Ninja, both of the two with her had been her partners at times..providing the heavy hitting while she did the true stealth. She was the secret within the secrets of a secret village. It was complicated.

As far as everyone else in Konoha knew, she was one of those didn't make it to graduation but still had some skills Civilian's. The Inuzuka adored all their clan, but since she didn't have a Nin-dog she lived on the farthest edge of the compound, abutting the forest. She'd help out with the dogs and generally was thought to be tolerated with love, the strange cousin in the group.

"You should come to dinner next week.." Ibiki commented, Anrui listened, curious as she scented Inoichi freeze up. "Blondie found a girl.."

All the best friends harassed each other you know? Anrui took another sip of her tea, and chuckled faintly. "He's not serious, just wants in her pants." She tapped her nose, both Ibiki and Anrui smirking at their blonde friend who rolled his eyes. He could get into people's minds, but Ibiki was capable of twisting your thoughts around in a sick demented way..and Anrui's nose was ridiculously sensitive. She was heavily sensitive to all energies as well, not just chakra, which meant as a trio they were..

Well, no one knew that the devilish duo had a literal third component. The other two who were acknowledged special Jounin, were thought to just be keeping in touch with a pretty former classmate. They'd kept the illusion of being friendly after Anrui 'failed' to the point no one blinked these days. Ibiki and Inoichi were two you just didn't mess with, for all the two had skyrocketed to advancing once in Torture and Investigation.

Anrui was just their bizarre little friend who would bring food and demand company. Ninja's looked underneath the underneath, but they so often forgot to suspect that things were in plain sight. Anrui finally sighed and looked up, eyes locking with her two best friends.

Two slight nods, not at the same time and barely even movement to sip their tea alerted her of the truth. She'd been called back to active duty. Peculiar.

Not that she found out anything until she went over to Ibiki's later that day. It was a private joke, even as the three walked towards their bald friend's apartment, that people didn't think he lived in a normal home. Ibiki was a neat freak though, and his home was so comfortable it was clear he refused to take his work home. Privacy seals slammed into place as the window shut, that the other two had gone through while Anrui, to keep up appearances, went through the door. She went to raid her friends chocolate stash and then sat down in the oversized couch, waiting.

"The Hokage is...worried." Anrui just waited, Inoichi, the hair fiend that he was, sat behind her to undo the long braid she wore and started to play with her brindled hair. "The creature attacked not that long ago and.." he grimaced, running his hand over his uncovered head. Around them, he had no need to keep up his walls. "We may have heard one of the other villages sealed one..better..copying..able to harness it properly. It may be a rumor."

Anrui leaned back into Inoichi, these two..they were pack. They were family. The rest of the Inuzuka didn't know, no one did. Just these two, her former special operations teammates..and the Hokage. Inoichi still playing with her hair as the woman looked up at her equally young friends. They weren't hardly teenagers..not anymore..

"You can't go?" Anrui finally spoke, her voice as soft and sweet and seemingly unsuited to her as ever. Ibiki sank into the floor at her feet, his head on her knee as her nails, slightly longer with her heritage, ever so carefully ran over his damaged skin. From a mission she hadn't been on..neither had Inoichi. It was the last Ibiki went into the field without them..and it was a long time ago. Every year was a decade to a ninja. Her question wasn't really, but it was confirmed by the silence of the two with her, making her sigh.

"Who?" Her voice was soft, resigned. Briefly Ibiki tensed and she scented Inoichi's distress. It was understood. Both her packmates were possessive, fierce, they claimed her as their packmate, their sister, as much as she did them. Others saw what they presented, but since the death of her father on a mission these two..only a few months out of graduation at twelve, had decided she was their sister. She was theirs. Their wolf. Their Ghost.

The Sadistic One, Ibiki who terrified even his own predecessor.

The Unavoidable, One from whom Your Thoughts weren't Safe, Inoichi, who excelled at his clan's bloodline gift to such a level that anything Ibiki couldn't force out, he was able to rip away.

And in her place in the shadows, forgotten as fitted her role. Anrui.

The Ghost.

The one who couldn't pass the academy tests because she couldn't use Chakra like other's did, but held her own utterly fearsome clan jutsu's that used her specialized chakra in ways that couldn't be duplicated. The Ikiryo were named after all, because they could literally become like ghosts. She could be intangible, unscentable, inaudible..in great rare situations though it was utterly draining she could even pass unseen. The mere intangible aspect had meant if Ibiki could find a way in, and Inoichi could allow for keeping an eye out, Anrui had been able to get in and out of anywhere. But since she couldn't use her chakra as others did, she required someone else to take the hits, to protect and defend. Perhaps others had been better suited, but only her two older friends had been accepted by her instincts.

The three of them, unknown to all but the Hokage, had gotten information in and out of places that would have quite literally, never been possible otherwise. Anrui had learned ways to use her jutsu from Ibiki's twisted thoguhts that her ancestors had never considered, such as going intangible and then solid to rip out hearts, or collapse windpipes. She could phase certain things with her, but it wasn't easy and the longer she'd had them on her person to coat in her usual chakra, the better. So Anrui always was covered in senbon and the like.

They'd actually pinned her down and wrapped her carefully in chakra wire once...she'd not forgotten it since.

But it seemed this time, her Mind and her Nerve as she personally called her packmates, would not be with her.

"thank you." Anrui's voice was soft, neither of the three spoke often when it wasn't needed. They'd made sure she knew ahead of time, they'd been there to comfort her, and to receive it.

That deserved to be vocalized.

"Tomorrow, Ikiryo..you go back in the field." Inoichi spoke the words, Ibiki so rarely was in need of comfort but this time he was. It spoke enough about the mission he couldn't share with her. Not officially, not yet. So Inoichi would take this burden. "It'll be with Anbu..we will brief them..we'll make certain all is good but.." There was a slight tug on the brindled hair and Anrui's eyes were then locked with Inoichi's, clear, amber eyes met his own blue and he smiled faintly at his 'little sister'. "You know."

She nodded. They were shinobi. Nothing was a guarantee.

"Stay." Ibiki spoke again from his spot on the floor and two chuckles were his only answer. Even Ninja, needed their friends. Anrui was just touched both of them cared so much. She'd never found a dog to bond too, her nature preferred the wilds and the wolves but these two, from the first time they'd demanded to know why she couldn't perform the jutsu they'd been learning..they'd been forced to be tutors to lesser grades to make up for some horrid thing they'd done..had been there for her. They were her pack.

A sense of 'danger's coming' nudged her as she slipped into unconsciousness that night, curled up around her two packmates in a pile of blankets and cushions on the floor..the two had long since realized she needed physical contact with them and after some very funny 'I like girls!" from both of the young men had adjusted. Still, her instincts were never wrong. Tomorrow things would change. She rather pitied the Anbu her two 'brothers' warned about working with her.


	2. Chapter 2

When a lack of patience is a good thing..

In case anyone was wondering: This story is un Beta'd. It goes up with just a cursory spell check because I am more interested in getting the tale out. I write this because it is one of many plots that will not let go. I am attempting an experiment in just getting a story OUT rather then worrying on it being good the first time. I am entirely aware my times, knoweldge of Naruto etc are warped and resemble a kid's drawing rather then the manga. This is a heavily altered version of the story, Anrui's prior self V (who won't pop up as another personality or anything just what she'll call knowing things she shouldn't but doesn't remember why) is already a complete change from canon. I will warp missions and events and what happens to whom and who is dead as the story decides to emerge. Characters will be different because of someone existing and sometimes altering how others exist.

Enjoy.

Well.

Ibiki was satisfied.

Crane had likely never been so traumatized in his life, he was shaking and even if it was barely visible, Ibiki was a torture expert for a reason. The sheer amount of killing intent and warnings that went into ensuring Crane would never speak of anything that 'Fox' would do would have made a lesser shinobi pass out. It was a twist of fate, that since the nine tailed attacked the Fox mask had basically been retired. When it was brought out it was for special operations that were not Anbu but required secrecy. The first time Anrui had been handed the Fox mask she'd rolled her eyes and grumbled that at least it was kind of related to her blood.

And hadn't _that_ caused an uproar. Unintentional destruction of Anbu mind's..Inoichi'd had to do a lot of mental erasing after that. He'd appreciated the practice of course. Not to mention the warped sense of humor.

Crane felt sweat trail down the back of his neck as Ibiki finally led him out, any potential levity he felt towards what seemed a simple infiltration mission had vanished. If Ibiki was threatening his professional conduct before he'd even gotten the official orders, this was far more then he had anticipated. Crane had a flawless record of keeping secrets too, but from all the repetition on how his partner would have specific bloodline traits that were an s-class secret for the village. His curiosity was fully roused but it seemed like it may have some brutal payoff.

"Ah, Crane, Ibiki. Crane this is Fox your partner for this mission. I don't think I need to remind both of you results are more important then speed?" The two nodded, both utterly silent. Fox had her long hair twisted and secured under a headscarf, much more practical then just leaving it out in the open and easier to hide under the Anbu cloak's they'd be using soon. "You are going to an outer village in Kiri's territory..masquerade as civilian's if you need but do not be caught." The Hokage gave them an even look and Crane was startled. This, was a mission a bit more serious then he usually was pulled in for. "Crane..you're very visually identifiable. I presume you can change that?" Crane nodded, but Fox was the first to act, after all Crane was processing orders highly unusual still. Anrui had her two packmates get her used to 'what the hell are you thinking' long ago. Her borrowed mask, cloak, and headband all were laid on his desk.

"Understood, Hokage-sama. We are to travel as civilian's as soon as beyond Konoha's borders." The Hokage nodded and sealed her items she had set down, passing the scroll to her. It was only then Crane realized she'd not been in typical Anbu attire.

"Crane, you will stay as you are. Escort your partner out the gate and they shouldn't ask for papers. Do not let anyone find out.." He paused then and Anrui nodded, her golden eyes sharp and cold as usual. Ibiki inwardly smirked knowing if for whatever reason Crane was hesitant, she'd obliterate any evidence of their association herself. Inuzuka were _loyal_. Ikiryo were moreso. Anrui turned and nodded to Crane. "I will meet you at the gate. I am packed." With that she turned and walked out, not too unusual for one of the ungraduated who were talented to meet with the Hokage after all.

"Crane.." Ibiki stepped forward then at Sarutobi's glance and sighed. "Your role in this as stated is to be the back up and the man power. Crane you are to at no time reveal you know Fox upon completion of this mission. This is a great deal of trust you are being given.." Ibiki trailed off and Crane saluted silently, he understood. There were other, flashier, perhaps more well known ninja of course. Many would have guessed pairing Asuma or Kurenhai for all they were not Anbu. The difference was, it took a specific sort of heavy hitting ninja to handle Anrui and Ibiki had not even glanced at the newer recruits, newly promoted, or the more unstable then usual. Those who handled assasinations most the time were a terrible match for his packmate. "Fox can in some situations turn aggressive and dangerous. She may even turn on you. In this situation.." Sarutobi completed, his eyes serious. "you are to incapacitate. You are to return. Her mission is the confirmation of intelligence, yours is her safety. Is that understood? If you feel it is necessary you withdraw. If you are compromised you obliterate evidence and withdraw."

Crane saluted one more time, then at the gesture, vanished.

"Morino, I hope you are certain.." Saurtobi gave him a look and Ibiki just nodded. Sarutobi had wanted to send the infamous Kakashi, and Ibiki had overruled it. So had Inoichi. It was dangerous refusing their Hokage but they knew with how unstable Kakashi could be, while a vicious fighter, he was still damaged. Crane was...peculiar..but should work well with Anrui. "Very well Morino, I suppose we shall see...you did warn her, about her partner?"

Ibiki gave one of his infamous low chuckles. "You forget, Hokage-sama...her nose."

((((((((Switching to Anrui's POV))))

Getting out of the gate and seeing the guards was easy. I had an Anbu escort, not that they would see him leave with me. Though we had said to meet at the gate it was enough of a code that anyone Ibiki let around me for something of this nature would know I'd head out ahead. I needed to get far enough he could show up and remove his mask and gear, after all. The two stationed at the gate waved me by with only a cursory check. One was my Inuzuka cousin, Inu. Highly original wasn't it? We did love to tease him but considering his father had been drunk from trying to steady his nerves..well.

I had no illusions. My packmates were highly protective, half for their affection and half because my bloodline trait was just useful. Still, I was about as useful as a specialized tool in a tool box of thousands. I had my uses, my very specific uses. Otherwise I was a civilian. Sometimes it stung, the comradeship I saw in the ninja's outwardly acknowledged. I would never be part of that. My own clan had no idea what I got up to half the time, Inu just had nodded to me with a fanged grin because he knew all of us Ikiryo needed to wander and explore. It certainly wasn't the first time I stepped out for a vacation beyond Konoha even if that was in the long run, rather foolish. It was one of the few it was for a decent reason though.

I'd only been walking for twenty minutes beyond the last scent of Shinobi when I scented my partner. I didn't stop walking, but nodded my head as Crane fell into step beside me. He was fast then, very fast. I didn't turn my head either, my nose telling me all I needed to know. "You are surprised..?"

"I am." The voice was low, rich, and evenly measured. It made me chuckle.

"When you present something so different to the village yourself?" I was enjoying the scents my partner brought. Unlike so many, there was no deceit, instead he smelled of sweat and the earth, a damp rich loam so like the forest we lived in. It was a calming steady scent. Trust Ibiki to have somehow picked up on it. My brother's had no senses such as mine but over the years of being aware of how I perceived things, they had learned to pay much more attention to what they could smell. Cologne and perfumes irritated my nose, poison experts and those who exploded things made me gag.

"I, you are correct. Of course, it is so easy to misdirect when people are not thinking. Though I find I am quite surprised that you are..that you weren't.." His voice almost stuttered and I chuckled, still not looking over.

"Oh don't get too alarmed. I didn't graduate the academy. Didn't Morino-san explain things?" He wouldn't have of course, at least nothing direct or concrete. That was just not his way.

"He, explained that your...family..made it.." he paused and I hummed in delight that he'd avoided my bait. I'd been forced to work with others before who just ..failed. Miserably. Inoichi took care of them.

"Treat me like the civilian's, please. My family gives me 'connections' but I am no ninja. Not as you think." I paused and then smiled over my shoulder up at my partner for this. He was a mountain, perhaps more like a landslide but I was at ease around him. Ibiki had picked well, and even better, though he'd be insufferable for it, I would be admitting as much to him.

"And call me Anrui, Gai-san."

)))))))))

Gai of course, was a master of hiding in plain sight I had learned. Oh, I had no doubt this wasn't his true self so to speak. No, there was no false hood in the 'Green Beast of Konoha'. That was Gai when he was being honest to himself. The one I was traveling with was Crane, Anbu. For all he had his mask off, and changing his hair so it was brushed off his face, wearing regular clothes with his reinforced gear hidden under long sleeves and loose cargo pants. No one would have guessed my companion, especially with his quiet watchful nature, to be the same man.

Inoichi had said all Anbu, and all Shinobi to some extent, develop personality disorders. Crane was Gai's serious reserved self, the more lethal and dangerous side. From what I had learned over the few weeks we had been working together, learning each other's tells so we could play civilian's better with each other, he was very much like his summons. Slow, methodical, wise. I didn't doubt that his exuberance and cheer the rest of the time was half coping mechanism and partly just who he desperately wished to be.

In turn Gai had taken to calling me Rikka-chan, and I was keeping a thin layer of makeup over my stripes. That combined with a temporary dye in my hair that made it a muddy rather ugly brown, left only my eyes. Enough people had a strange feature or two though that it didn't get much attention. Besides, I could keep my eyes downcast.

We were playing off my being his childhood friend. We weren't going to try for being together as neither of us wanted to fake that, and Inuzuka have things about our relationships that are just complex..and I couldn't call him family. Pack was a serious thing. The best lie has truth in it, so childhood friends, there'd been a year or two overlap at the academy we could play off. Just enough. It wasn't as if we told everyone but having a story worked out in your head made life so much easier.

In the end, the mission was time consuming, but easy. I informed Gai of my intention to go every night, and half the time he went with me and kept an eye out. Once or twice he'd gotten in a fight with a local group of ruffians, non ninja thankfully, while I slipped in and did my work. The first time he'd actually seen me 'ghost' was funny. His expression lent credence to his 'Green Beast' being his true self. One just didn't fake the enthusiasm afterward that he had struggled to keep at bay. Ghosting sounds terribly easy, almost elegant. It's hard as hell. Essentially I warp my chakra in a way that my family just -does- but it takes time and focus. The easiest for me, and my kin, is to go intangible. It's where our clan name Ikiryo comes from. When I'm doing this I'm both here and not. My senses are dulled like this but the other senses..I can't explain it. When I'm between I can't hardly smell, my hearing and sight both take a hit. My touch? Nonexistant. I can fade in and out, and the hell that Inoichi and Ibiki put me through to learn to just do so with a hand so I can grab things and take them with me. We don't speak of those days.

But my awareness of chakra goes utterly through the roof. And not just chakra, everything has a vibration, an energy like this I am aware of it. It's confusing as hell. So by the time we found that yes, the rumors were just that but somehow people had gotten a look at some seal diagrams that just seemed..well my instinct was screaming. It wasn't V thankfully, so I knew it wasn't world changing but it was a big deal. I'd stolen the documents and walked right back through the walls to nod at Gai. I then told him I'd meet him outside the city, to grab our things and meet me there..and vanished to sight. The more senses I hid myself from the harder it got.

These weren't my only abilities from my clan but they were essentially the most useful.

"Well done." Gai was carrying me, silent for the most part as he raced out of Kiri's territory. I could use chakra to enhance my abilities -thank the kami for small things- and tree walk but only at about chunin level. My chakra just didn't wish to play normal after all. So, Gai was racing at a speed that was frankly amazing, and I was just being carried. It worked. We were in enemy territory, it so worked. Tensions were high with all the nations, it didn't matter if a war had ended. We were shinobi territory, a war was always going on.

"You too.." I rested my eyes for a minute, letting Gai focus.

I didn't think I'd mind working with Crane again. I was pretty sure Gai was going to be a pain in my butt though if I caught him being 'youthful'.

We really are screwed up.

))))))))))))))))))))))))

Gai can run.

Seriously, the man had us back in only a fraction of the time. I had been in Anbu attire of course, as was Crane, for the entire time once we were back in Konoha. He let me run again too. I'd needed to switch out of my gear for entering the town alone, Gai had been startled when I'd asked him to seal my scroll. Apparently he had only a little chakra, but go figure it still behaved for things like sealing scrolls. I could undo one, but I couldn't seal one worth a damn. And even unsealing only took blood, wasn't precisely a chakra feast.

It was after checking in, after giving a report and Ibiki not being there..he'll be smug later..scroll turned over, gear returned, and having just used Ibiki's T&I captain's shower to get back to normal that I found something.

Or maybe, I should say, it found me.

I couldn't recall because V, usually so quiet and not there had given a sharp feeling of OH!Important! As a little yellow and orange blur slammed into me.

Now, I'm not an all around nice person. I'm selfish, I'm lazy, I'm vicious tempered and like to be left alone most the time. I do good things when I feel like it and I can, and so I can admit without any shame that if not for my little once I was you V, that whole thing? I would have just snarled and walked away. My instincts were screaming that this was danger and terrible and I needed to get away. V had snapped into awareness so sharp I felt like Inoichi had found a new jutsu to use on my brain. A pinch almost, a feeling of lightheaded 'oh...bubbles..pretty'.

Yet. I had once been someone, and that always worked with my instincts. So instead I looked down and tilted my head, still wet hair clinging irritatingly to my neck, at the blonde kid. Maybe five? Four? Awfully tiny.. Inuzuka temper started to rise but then faded.

Blue puppy eyes.

"..."

"..."

We just stared. And then slowly, the irony clicked into my brain. Golden hair and blue eyes. Blue brindled hair and gold eyes.

Well fuck. Weren't we a matched set?

"You shouldn't say that!" The gasp from pipsqueak didn't really work when he was trying to smother his giggles. He made me grin, I could feel one of my fangs poking through my smile and shrugged.

"I'm an adult, pipsqueak. I like to curse."

"I like Ramen." He spoke half loud, mostly at the end. The first part though was just ever so slightly quieter, unsure. Hey, you pick things up when your brothers are Information freaks. It was said as if a great secret so I chuckled and nodded.

"I like Yakisoba." Well lookit that. I can talk to kids that aren't Inuzuka. Aw, Tsume's gonna be so proud of me. Okay, enough of that. I nodded once more and waved. "Later pipsqueak."

I thought nothing else of it. I really didn't.

You know, until there was an orange clad little hell spawn in my yard a few days later.

And then outside my favorite tea shop.

Watching me at the park when I was reading.

I had a chibi stalker.

...Dangit. My brother's are going to laugh themselves silly...


	3. Chapter 3

Story will slow down as we get to more interesting things. I just don't feel like drawing it out. It's a Nanowrimo thing so really, more focused on word count then improving. Grammar and spelling are kind of ignored.

Japanese words and my spellcheck sometimes do funny things.

Continue down my weird destruction of Naruto.

()()()()()

Correction. My brother's were gasping for air half incredulous and half just being annoying little pricks. It was a few weeks after my mission with Crane and this was my mandatory open up to the big bad sadist and mind reader in order to debrief. Aka brother's got to pick on me. They loved this part of things a little too much. Oh they were professional, seriously, but there was lots of teasing and harassment thrown in. We'd gone over every last inch of my mission, because of course the numerous fights and ninja we'd killed in the process didn't make it into my report. Not the official one. It was a precaution, no one ever thought the reports (despite all their safety features) were entirely safe. It's why verbal was the only acknowledged form of me or my abilities in the files. Half of Ibiki's harassment of Crane was actually ensuring he would be breaking protocol, which after years of following it or being harshly treated, had been most of what had shaken the Anbu. Verbally, just the two of them and myself in a nice dim little room with tolerably comfortable chairs and a table for hours. I got the tolerable comfort because they adored me. And tea.

Jasmine tea was a big weakness of mine. Of course, I always checked it. Every sip. Ibiki had slipped poison and drugs in them plenty of times. Sibling pranks.

Shinobi were messed up. Attempting to kill was showing you cared. Not growing up because our childhoods had been ruthlessly suppressed to create soldiers also resulted in crazy immature behaviors.

"So, back to ..the real point..continue with the ..altercation.." Inoichi chuckled as I had just finished explaining how Crane had disposed of several civilian thugs with clothing off a nearby clothesline since we had been leaving a bath house. Unarmed. Well as far as they'd known. Since we were playing civilian's we couldn't be seen using weaponry after all. Kiri's outer villages were just as freakishly paranoid. You always did the 'normal' things when blending. Since I still predominately was a civilian it is why my role officially on any mission was to be a sort of guide, the shinobi would follow my lead as I would go through a normal day. You'd be shocked at how many things shinobi just didn't think of that we take for granted. Like doing the laundry, getting groceries, haggling. Flirting. All though, the first time I had to inform any shinobi or kuonichi that they _should_ be flirting because in drawing that sort of attention they'd be ignored..yeah.

Most shinobi had zero ideas how to not be spotted when pretending to be normal if they were in 'mission' mode.

I felt my fangs showing as I grinned, a fully Inuzuka wicked smirk. "So the fabric ripped, and the next one he grabbed happened to be small and with a lace pattern.." I spread my hands as Inoichi and Ibiki twitched, guessing where this was going. "And he _strangled_ the man with a baby blue thong. His expression when he looked down.." I had to pause as Inoichi lost his composure, well, for a shinobi. There was a gleam to his eyes and his shoulders shook as he coughed. Ibiki just snorted.

"I suppose I shall have to find him a gift for his birthday this year in baby blue.."

Ah Ibiki. Don't ever change.

"Really though, it is..astounding." Inoichi commented thoughtfully, he was scrolling through Crane's official report. Mostly I was clarifying details that would not be recorded..I wasn't supposed to be more then I was after all. Inoichi and Ibiki needed the information though, not so much because of the mission but with everything they'd drilled into me for years sometimes I noticed something that another shinobi, even Anbu, didn't pick up on the significance of. Again, hellish years with my packmates. We don't discuss that. "Somehow, no matter what, Crane..or Gai..always get into implausible situations. I don't think I have ever heard of strangling an enemy civilian thug, while pretending to be a civilian, and carefully hiding his skills and abilities..with a woman's thong."

I cleared my throat.

Ibiki's eyes widened and I grinned even more.

"It wasn't a woman's thong. Crane did it with a 'banana hammock' I think they're called now.."

I was treated to the pleasure of seeing my brothers roar in laughter. Sipping my tea I didn't doubt that there were a _lot_ of people terrified even if we had privacy seals up. Deep laughter carried through the stone work, and Ibiki and Inoichi only laughed when someone needed to be afraid.

"All .." Inoichi still twitched, fighting off a smile some time later, Ibiki had poured me a cup of tea and I'd glared at him as I caught the scent of a hallucinogen. We'd bickered for a while, mostly Ibiki whining in his own way that he'd thought he'd finally found a truly odorless form. I got a new cup of tea. This one was fine. Really if he didn't try at least four times in a visit I knew something was wrong. "How heavily guarded were the plans, anyways?" Inoichi locked his blue eyes with mine and I nodded.

"Several high ranking shinobi. Two weren't from Kiri..they didn't smell like it but had the marks. My guess is they're on loan or recently back from elsewhere. There were a _lot_ of traps. Physical, chakra powered, three were genjutsu." I paused closing my eyes half way and snorted out once. It wasn't a pretty habit but blocking out scents would help me focus. "I'd gone in full ghost so none triggered, I was able to avoid the chakra based ones but just barely. I had to pass through a few pillars, luckily they didn't include them. It was an old storehouse and wood is easier to go through.." I paused then and gave them a serious expression. "It was locked up so tight no one else would have. I almost didn't make it through..we nearly had to try a full confrontation or I was ready to blow the place up.." It wouldn't have been me though. Chakra to use explosive tags was a direct burst, I carried plenty. Chakra to set and then trigger? Nope. Gai would have had to and I wasn't sure he was capable of it as he focused almost entirely on Taijutsu. It would have been a disaster.

"No problems returning?" Ibiki was frowning down at his notes, no doubt on where Gai had carried me. It was so sweet when he worried. Sweet in a Ibiki tended to cause medic nin more work later on way. True love with this little pack involved blood and threats.

"None. I was exhausted from going fully Ghost, but kept it up to outside the village, just having dropped to stage one in order to confirm with Crane. We took breaks, but he did most the running except when we fought in a few locations. Most was crossing with other shinobi passing through Kiri territory as well. Iwa, twice. Kumo, once. Several groups of lesser rogues estimated by Crane to be genin and chunin who abandoned..we just helped out their villages by ending them. No scrolls or items of value save for restocking kunai and wire was obtained." All in all it had been a boring trip back.

"And after?" Inoichi was sipping his tea now. They'd of course, picked up on my being twitchy about something this week and it was clearly not from the mission. Well, seeing Gai strangle someone with a blue men's thong could make most twitchy but..yeah. You got a weird sense of humor when your honorary elder brothers were these two.

I pouted. Two eyebrows went up. I rarely pouted, but sometimes I just couldn't think of another way to show my irritation. "I have a stalker." Ohhhh and the Killing Intent..heh, you have to love elder brothers. Especially sadistic and fanatical ones. Toying with them, well can you blame me? They taught me! "He's even figured out where I live, my favorite haunts.." Oh and the intent got palpable. See, one thing with our close relationship is because my instincts call them packmates, their killing intent is actually _comfortable_ to me. Kind of how they always have to hide smiles when I growl if they've been talking about a bad day. Apparently a little sister growling out maiming threats is endearing to them. Did I mention Shinobi are pretty screwed up?

I let it linger for another minute before, true to again how they taught me, twisting it somewhere unexpected.

"The little gaki seems to want to follow me everywhere. He's a damn puppy."

Cue silence.

"Gaki?" it was Inoichi's stare that made me stop the game. "You always call them vermin.."

The playing dropped and I nodded at him, completely serious. There's a reason I was bringing this up _here and now_ rather then when visiting off duty. "Uzumaki Naruto."

You could practically hear the chakra circulating in the three of us it got so quiet. We all knew the truth of course, we also knew the laws. This was major. Anbu followed Naruto to keep him alive, Anbu that would now be in proxy following me. The secret that had to hide in plain sight. My coming and going would be watched if this continued. Also, there was no way to guess how things would go. Ibiki clenched his fist and nodded. He'd bring it up to the Hokage.

"Wait here."

Inoichi and I were left alone, with a pot of tea and a silence that stretched between us. I made a faint chuffing sound and Inoichi moved his chair over to me, wrapping an arm around me as my nose went to the hollow of his throat. I loved my packmate's scent. It was crisp and cold, like metal. Sterile. Clinical. Clean. Ibiki's was more like iron just heated. I decided to lighten the mood.

"How's little Ino-chan?"

Inoichi chuckled, then began telling me stories of his little girl. He hadn't been in a serious relationship with Ino's mother, but they wed anyways. He was still out looking for women because it was more of an arrangement he had with the kunoichi. As long as Ino was well taken care of and she was discreet, and used contraceptives, Inoichi didn't begrudge his 'wife' the same. Relationships in Shinobi lives tended to be either rather open, or fiercely closed. There was almost never any in between. Even seduction missions were serious and focused and no one really did them for pleasure. We didn't have friends, we had allies and those of fellow rank, or you had teammates you'd die for. It was why Inuzuka did so well as Shinobi. We were bred for loyalty.

Inoichi was one of those in an open arrangement. Ibiki had an 'understanding' with a few kunoichi when his blood was up or if one of his lovers came back from a mission that they needed to destress from. I had other outlets. Inuzuka loyalty combined with my keeping my not quite shinobi status a secret. There was also that I was more Ikiryo then Inuzuka, wolf then dog. I didn't do casual. Which was probably a good thing because I'd an absolute _thing_ for men my brother's didn't approve of. Luckily they were all shinobi and thus due to my ongoing secret status, off limits. And good body or not there was no way in the nine hells of Ibiki's creative sadistic mind I was going after Gai. Just, no.

My attention returned to hearing about little bossy Ino-chan and her mispronunciation of flowers.

I actually rather liked Ino's mother, and Ibiki and I figured eventually the little arrangement would blossom into a genuine love between her and Inoichi. Not yet though, they were still needing a break from each other and Ibiki and I were just amused at how Inoichi's tastes had started to mimic his wife's appearance. Now, I had actually managed to get caught up on my little pseudo niece's tales by the time Ibiki returned. He wasn't alone. We had a guard?..

My nose recognized this Anbu as one of Hokage's personal guard. No one said anything, we just followed Ibiki, the guard flanking us. My curious nature was up. Luckily since my interaction with Naruto had been witnessed no doubt as cool but civil I wasn't in trouble, which made me puzzled why there was a heavy feeling of dread I could scent off Ibiki. Ibiki knew what was coming and he disliked it. Whatever it was, whatever the outcome, he didn't like it at all. I blinked once, twice and visibly forced myself to relax. Ibiki and Inoichi had trained me well. If Ibiki was dreading but resigned to this, then it was out of all of our hands. Instead it would belong to the god of shinobi for our little village.

The Hokage did not dismiss his Anbu, nor my brothers. Instead he paused and gave me a long measuring look. I stood. I bowed of course, I am wild but not uncouth. I did not sit however, I was under no illusions. Whatever he had to say would be either an obvious order or an implied one. I may be technically a civilian, but I am also a shinobi. I am one of his pawns, his soldier's. I would obey.

"Ikiryo..you seem to have by accident created a situation that is ideal." The Hokage took a draw on his pipe before he nodded, every inch right now was not a kind grandfather, or the prior Hokage. This was the professor. The Hokage who would not let his aging body wear on his exceptionally powerful mind and was my commander. The will of fire made flesh. "You are aware of course, of Uzumaki's nature. He is treated..deplorably by the village." There was a pause, I nodded. "The entire village, despite my orders, shuns him. Despite the nature of what he does for us, and has done. No doubt in the future will do. I can command Shinobi, but I cannot command the civilian's. Not truly." Sarutobi took another breath and then eyed me. "You are neither. What I want you to do, as your mission, is subtle. It will be harsh, and only those present now in this room will be made aware. My one Anbu..captain of my guards, will filter the reports made by the other Anbu. I want you to find ways to intervene, Ikiryo. As a civilian. I am leaving the details up to you, but I am making this an A-class mission. None are to learn, none are to find out."

I paused, everyone waited. The Hokage gave me a great deal of leeway when I thought things through, he always had. Because of my twisted status, and my more twisted packmates, I could sometimes think of things differently. "I request..Hokage-sama..that you do -not- provide me with further information." I felt my lips quirk at the strangely painful attention from Sarutobi. His full attention was like a scalpel. "I am a civilian, I would not know things about his day to day life. I need to stumble, I need to blunder and find out on my own. It will not be easy.." I shrugged, I was terrified of what the brat held in him, this was normal. This was honest. "But in the future, someday, because something like this may very well blow up when he learns..I want to be able to say that I was just asked to look out for him but not how. I will do this..as I always do. Genuinely." My eyes met with my liege, my Alpha in my mind. I did not look away.

This was going to be hard, it was going to cause me severe backlash but I was a civilian of Konoha, and despite all they thought they knew the true Shinobi knew _nothing_ of how life beyond their world of shadows was. Nothing. The same way I had to teach them to blend on missions, was the same way they didn't know as I did, that not the entire village hated the orange menace. Deeper in town, away from the Shinobi frequented districts, people didn't like the ninja. You didn't mingle there. The civilian's who didn't have family or lovers in the ninja corps didn't _know_ about Naruto. The average civilian hated ninja. People didn't trust them for Konoha despite whatever the ninja thought, was heavily divided. The Ninja looked down on the civilian's, they thought nothing of them save as servants of sort, a lesser class. The civilian's resented the shinobi as much as they liked the protection and were impressed by them. I was of neither world, the civilian's saw my failure to become, my being a part of but separate from my clan as being like them. I was thought to have come to my senses among them, and I did just fine business. I shopped from stores that the civilian's did, I helped out in a few part time jobs, I was _average and normal_ I wasn't, aside from my coloration, different.

Or rather the civilian's treated me as if I had been terminally ill but recovered, would always bear the wounds but lived beyond. They saw me as odd but it was a 'Anrui-san has weird hobbies' sort of way. They saw ninja as being heartless and often overbearing warlords. It was why they liked making them do D-rank jobs for pay. Sometimes, demeaning kid ninja's was all they could do to feel better.

To the Shinobi, I was a failure. Outside of this room, Gai, and only a handful of others who had mostly died in the years since Kyuubi, I was looked upon as less than. I was a silly little wannabe who failed and now was a charity case to her cousins, despite that the Inuzuka adored me and I never asked for anything since my own space to build my home which was considered a clan right. They knew of my chakra but since I never used it really didn't think on it. Out of sight and all that. To the shinobi at large, I was an amusement to Ibiki and Inoichi, the number of sordid rumors over the years had only grown. That I came and went from T&I and the Hokage tower was easily brushed off. Those who didn't graduate were kept tabs on after all.

This would be a hard mission, and a huge part of me was balking at the idea of being around the Kyuubi container. Yet, V, ever since the mission was spoken, had been clamoring. My every instinct from that life that I no longer had was insisting this was hugely important. I just _knew_ this was bigger then I realized, probably more so then even my Hokage did.

"So, mission pain in the ass begins now?" I grinned a fanged Inuzuka smirk, just because I could.

The Hokage didn't even blink as he nodded, but Inoichi and Ibiki stifling their snorting laughter was reward enough.

Come to think of it, so was the sheer scent of shock and disbelief at my cheek from the Anbu. Ha! That's what you get for wearing a cat mask.

Damn cats.

(((()))))

In hind sight, had I let Sautobi set everything up I probably would have been 'adopting' Uzumaki from the orphanage and getting paid for it. I was really glad as I walked out, alone, that I insisted on doing it my way. Children were evil little vermin, and any that were likely to be ninja had uncanny senses for when they were being played. This would be awkward and hard and likely annoying as all get out, but in the end I would stumble my way through it and when some day the little demon container learned about the truth I hoped he would let me live. You never knew.

I didn't, truly, think he would kill me. Perhaps a blessing I had over many of my shinobi acquaintances but I did feel he would find some way to express his disappointment if ever Uzumaki thought whatever was to come of my mission had been solely done on the whims of an old man. As well meaning as they were. Instead I had no guidance, no help. I was completely on my own with the parameters so vague I could essentially just make sure the kid had clothing for the Academy or the rare dango and it would be considered a success.

Ikiryo are _loyal_ though.

Instead I found my way to the park, it faded into the woods that would run through the Nara compound and beyond, to the Inuzuka territories. It was a tiny patch of civilization amongst the wilds and a bench that allowed me to see one of the many small streams that bloomed into a koi pond was my favorite spot. Stretching my legs I leaned back and just watched, the scaled beauty of the koi letting my mind slip into a curious..well now what..mantra. Meditation was a huge part of shinobi life, and for those of us with our instincts making us strange to other humans, Inuzuka and Aburame both sought stillness. It wasn't a lack of thought, but rather stepping back to observe. Sometimes, it was in the detached now of thought that was so natural to the beasts and beasties of the wild that would let us find where to tackle a problem.

Breathe in..

What to do? Where to begin? What do I _know_ about the little scamp? Disregarding the usual stats of demon container, family name, orphan? He likes the color Orange. He enjoys ramen, he's actually pretty tenacious and quiet when stalking someone. He's too small. I'm pretty sure the Uzumaki brat is supposed to be five now, but he looks four. For a ninja whelp that is, those with only civilian parents tend to a more steady aging process whereas something about larger chakra reserves both accelerates growth and seems to retard it after a bit. A ninja child at seven can be fighting already better then a non trained civilian two or three times that age. So, he's young. Too young considering his appearance to not have a bit more to him.

He's an orphan, no one has adopted him because Ninja are prejudiced and crazy. He's probably in the shinobi orphanage instead of the civilian one so Sarutobi can keep watch over him. That means either it's shinobi run, or shinobi family. Either way the ones in charge of him will have a grudge for his part in the Yondaime's ploy. So he doesn't get fed as well, or trained. They probably aren't worried about his education.

I have nothing else to work with.

Breathe out.

Scent. Ozone, sulfur, musk just under paint and ramen spices. My nose twists in an almost sneeze and I open my eyes, combing slowly through the visuals around me. A splash of orange not too far away. I lift my hand in greeting. It's lazy, a limp curl to my fingers. I don't really want to do gaki could have fled, could have stayed put but instead he was suddenly right there -note to self, Uzumaki is capable of impressive speed- and big blue puppy eyes lock onto me as my hand lowers.

I hear crickets. If not for their lack of humor I'd think there was an Aburame nearby to poke fun at me.

I'm not always good at being serious. I don't like what I have been asked to do but I'm _loyal_ and I know I'll do this to the best of my abilities. My lips twitch into the usual fang poking out smile "So. What's the name of my little stalker?" Okay, the kid is seriously adorable as his eyes go wide and then I wait, watching the nearly visible turning of gears in his head as Uzumaki realizes never once did he give his name.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto." It comes out stiff, nervous. As if his name has gotten him bad reactions in the past. Before the first few run ins, I don't doubt I'd be among the ones shunning him. Not aggressive or hateful, I respected the Yondaime and I respect the horrid role the brat plays for us. I'd have just ignored him, I'm more canine then not and if we can't eat it, mark it, or hump it so to speak we don't care as the joke goes. Uzumaki never was important to me before, he wasn't an assignment so he was just another face. I would have passed right by. Still, the way he says his name at just four years old rubs my non existent fur the wrong way. I'm a sarcastic brat, so sue me. I grin teasingly at him.

"You sure of that? You're not Utumunki Namuko?" Yeah that was just a mumbled garbled mess but there's something about this kid's introduction that felt off. He puffs out his cheeks in indignation and is a funny pink color, slowly turning blue from holding his breath before he nods fiercely.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto! Dattebayo!" Huh. V is both thrilled and utterly annoyed I think. I shove the person I once was away and tilt my head at him, highly amused. Gaki has spirit. Good. Spirit I can work with.

"Ikiryo Anrui." I smirk at the pipsqueak as he blinks rapidly. We are both watching, waiting. I don't want to rush him. I'm a wolf, I can wait. Maybe my Inuzuka cousins would be more brash and go straight in, but I want the little demon container to give me an idea of what it is he needs. Had I ears like a dog I'm certain they'd be swiveled forwards, fully attending to Naruto even as I seem lazily just blinking at him.

"Um.." He blinks at me, I get the feeling I'm being analyzed.

I wait. He fidgets and looks around a bit. His outfit is too big on him, the sleeves rolled up and dirty. His hair is unkempt and long,not in a style either but just scraggly. I do not know what it is someone else would think seeing this little boy as he is. To me however, and I'm certain to my cousins, I see grit. Only strong pups make it naturally, and though he's lean and filthy it's the sort of desperate lean that occurs in the wild, he's determined. This child has a core of steel, if he can be properly tended to. Patience though is clearly not something he has. Naruto opens and closes his mouth several times. He looks away, fidgets, looks back. He wants something, very clearly he wants something but I do not imagine the village has been good to him. I can honestly say aside from rumors, I've not paid the gaki any mind all these years.

Whatever he meant to say is drowned out by the roaring of his far too empty stomach. He flushes a deep red, looking down ashamed and clearly about to bolt away. I'm given only seconds to decide. He's a hungry kid, but I've no doubt he's unwelcome in most locations this part of town that sell food. More, I do not want to become his meal ticket. Habit's form swiftly after all. Instead I chuckle and shrug, my eyes never leaving his bright orange form.

"When did you eat last?''

Naruto blushes. He pales, and shifts and fidgets so I amend the question. Remind me to teach the kid to lie.

"The last time you ate a proper meal, not stolen bits here and there." He clams up and I shrug, perhaps he needs a reminder of where we live. "What? I'm curious who you took things from because depending on the target that's a promising bit of skill.."

Well dang. Didn't anyone ever explain the darker stuff the Shinobi do? Naruto's gaping in honest amazement. "Come on kid, seriously? There's whole classes taught to shinobi so they learn how to be good at stealing things!"

"No!" Naruto is gaping now, not in outrage but sheer disbelief. It makes me uncomfortable. Even my bratty little nephew and niece four times removed or something, Hana and Kiba, know that ninja steal, kill, and disable. It sets my instincts off. Maybe in his own way this is a form of aggression from the trouble making villagers. If so, it is a very worrying precedent.

Ah screw it.

When in doubt, follow your instincts is practically a clan motto anyways.

"Come on brat. You can tell me what you actually _know_ about shinobi and show me how good you are at stealing food off my plate." Before he can react I have him thrown over my shoulder, heading deeper into civilian territory for my favorite yakisoba haunt. The gaki is so startled he doesn't even squirm at first.

"Um..where..where are you.." He sounds so scared it almost makes me growl. He's limp in my hold, but I feel a trembling. Brave little brat..what have you been through?

"Eh, I can let you walk if you want but my legs are longer. I'm hungry. Ever had Yakisoba? It won't be easy to sneak off my plate because..yanno..noodles.." I start to ramble, feeling him relax a little even as he's puzzled. I've completely thrown him off. "And the vegetables are always nice and saucey, not too much though. They do a great beef one but I like the tofu, lots of places make it taste weird but it's good here and soft. I like to eat my meat separately so I can enjoy it better.." I keep rambling, Uzumaki is silent, I can feel his entire focus on what I'm saying. Probably the longest someone has talked to him before. I keep rambling about food, because he's hungry, probably starving, and it has his attention for me. I start to discuss tea and why I prefer jasmine though I love green tea too, and white, and oolong. I like to drink them plain and unsweetened but I huff that someone always loves to sweeten my jasmine tea (I leave out that the sweetener is Ibiki's poison of choice for the day). By the time I've made it to the little hole in the wall restaurant Uzumaki is on my hip. He's holding onto my jacket comfortably, his eyes wide and occasionally giggling. He seems like a limpet, snuggled into my side in a way that honestly I'm not so happy about but the kid is _four or five and too small_ and acts like he never gets positive interaction.

I allow it.

We step inside and he cringes in my hold, tiny as he can make himself when the other diners and staff look over. I ignore them and take him to the restroom to wash my hands, it doesn't even occur to me someone hasn't taught him how. He just stares as I hoist him up, used to doing so for the many Inuzuka brats I sometimes watch. It's just sad. "You saw what I did, yeah?" Naruto nods and I smirk at him. "Good observation, prove it. Do just what I did."

Aside from using cold water, he does. It's sloppy but it works. I want to take the cloth he dries his hands with to his face but I think I've overwhelmed him enough already. He does manage to pipe up the dreaded 'Why?' and I just shrug. "Food tastes better when you don't have dirt on it."

Thank the moon he just nods and accepts it. When I tried explaining that to Kiba he took to dumping dirt on his food to test it out. For a week. Tsume tried to ambush me for a month in revenge. It was pretty funny.

"You do want to be a shinobi, yeah?"

He nods, eyes serious and I shrug. "Well you did well seeing how I washed up..tell you what..try to copy what I do at the table and I'll get you your own yakisoba. We can see how good a sneak you are another time. Observation is one of the most important skills after all." He's so quiet, so serious. Someone else would mistake the fidgeting as energy. I don't doubt he has it but it's more his focus is so strong it's blocking him out to other things. He needs an outlet before he becomes destructive. That's what Ibiki always said, who knows what could have come of him in the following years otherwise? I get a nudge from V, who seems far more awake with the little demon container around. It wouldn't be good. It wouldn't be _bad_ but it would do the kid no favors.

So all right. Give him something to focus on. I've got an idea starting but I need to see how well he takes direction with this. If so, well, I may have found something that will make Sarutobi so happy he'll eat his hat.

"What's with all this?" Naruto is confused as we sit down, the chopsticks and napkins and tea cups seem unfamiliar to him. Luckily, he holds the chopsticks enough someone -probably Sarutobi- taught him. It's a blessing I'm grateful for.

"Well, you're getting what I get, Gaki." I smirk and pour him tea before mine. "Let it cool or it will hurt. After the first sip if it's too bitter I'll sweeten it but try it." I wait for him to watch me as I sip it, making a show of how to hold the tea mug and sipping it slowly. I blow on it first even though that's not normal for me, just to teach him to be careful.

He does it exactly as I did.

Exactly.

I feel a frisson up my spine as he even sets the cup down like I did. There's a suspicion. This could be a natural talent, it could be priceless. When our rice and miso shows first, wanting to put something in his stomach and get him familiar with cheap things to get he does it again. He's clumsy with his chopsticks but every bite, the way I hold my bowl, even as I test him by plucking out bits of seaweed from my miso to nibble on before sipping.

He does it like my little mirror. Oh sure he's slower and it's after me but he's observant. He's relaxing too as the warm food and tea settles into him. I can see how hard it is for him to not just gobble down the food before it's taken away from him and so I chuckle softly, and smile. "You're doing amazingly well, Uzumaki. Very much so. If you can keep this up through the meal, I'll teach you something else."

The praise soaks into him and I'm treated to a foxy grin from him that should worry me, for what is in his system, but there's such joy and warmth in his smile. I find myself returning it. The kid has a gift in his happiness alone it seems. I settle into small interrogation questions that pass as conversation as we eat. I can't finish my rice, not wanting to fill up before my yakisoba so I pass it to Naruto. That seems to relax him even more realizing he'll definitely get enough to eat. Ibiki did train me well.

"What made you want to be a shinobi?"

"Ah, the Hokage-jiji..'' I stifle a giggle and he blushes but beams at my reaction and continues "He would stop by and tell me and the other kid's stories.." his speech is not as clear as what I filter into my brain. He's uneducated, course. He clips his words and sounds almost stupid. "An lots of em were about the shinobi and the cool things they can do and..I want to be noticed. Everyone knows who the hokage is.."

I humm and nod. He's young, he hasn't gone to the conclusion I feel someday he will of the Hokage is the best known so I want to be him. He's pliable still. "Well, that's all true. Are you going to the Academy?"

"Yeah! I start this next session an Hokage-jiji enrolled me himself!"

"Have you read the starting books then?"

"What?"

Oh dear. We blink at each other a bit and I sigh. "There's books, you're supposed to read them before the classes start. It gets into what you will be learning and what to study at home." Naruto hunches into himself and toys with a frayed sleeve. I see. The shops didn't tell him, and probably wouldn't even sell them to him. This is something I can't solve by taking him around the civilian's part of town as they were specifically Shinobi texts.

"Well, it may take me a few days but I think I have some older ones. They may be out dated but.."

"I...really?" Naruto's voice is so shaken, his eyes so very blue and I know Ibiki would kill to work the puppy eyes like that. Not that he can. Trust me, Inoichi and I still remember when he tried and terrified an entire squad.

I nod to him with a smile. "Hey, they're just sitting in storage. Why not?" We're distracted when our food comes and Naruto nearly lights up the place with how much he's smiling when not eating.

This I can do. I can work with him on small skills, make sure he has his materials. Never has to get more personal then this.

"Ikiryo is awesome!"

...I'm doomed aren't I?


	4. Chapter 4

Short note. I'm aware of the suffix's used with names traditionally, I just prefer to not try to remember when to use what. Again, the goal is to get this story out. Besides, as much as I am enjoying Japanese culture when I watch anime, reading fanfiction where I am constantly translating is a pain. Certain words I admit do sound better in the more traditionally used context but I don't fuss over if I say shinobi or ninja, etc. I do try to stick with people using last names in a more formal setting but certain characters I just don't think of in that way. Anyways, onwards. Again my corruption of timelines and facts is NOT canon.

()()()()

I'd gotten used to having a little stalker.

It was a few months after my first assignment and Naruto seemed to always be able to find me. I'd taken him out to eat a few more times but mostly I had used a few idle comments to get him to look into things. Nothing too wild, I mean he was a little boy after all. There's only so intelligent a boy at his age can be. I still haven't any idea if he's four or five, but outside of civilian's rumors no child is that developed so young. Certainly, the expanded chakra of those with shinobi potential makes itself known but the tales of kids under ten graduating and holding advanced positions is really laughable. Oh, certainly, those with chakra can do a great deal but your coils are still growing along with your body. Smart kids graduate on average at twelve but then spend a year or two after doing D rank missions. Then climb to C and chunin is slow and takes a great deal of advancement. Most people never bother leaving genin, the advancement later on is specifically for their field. Clerical jobs in the ninja world can be started fresh out of school. For those who do not pass in the three man cell's, it's straight into desk work usually. Or if one is fortunate, an apprenticeship.

Ibiki and Inoichi both graduated at twelve, and that's considering both messed around. I technically failed, but passed in secret at thirteen and began training under the Hokage's direction. The better control of ones chakra comes after puberty starts and I was a bit late. Mostly when I worked with Naruto now it was hinting to him that he should have a stipend to spend on small things, what the orphanage should be providing him with. I let him figure out who to approach and what to say. I then started teaching him what fair prices were for certain things. I was also helping him with the books I had promised, it turned out no one had yet started to teach the boy his letters or numbers and with a bit of tricky work I had him concurrently attending the civilian's lessons in the afternoons. He was going to ninja classes, and since I'd already started in on what certain terms meant and making certain he wasn't going to embarrass himself he was adapting just fine. I'd known he didn't like the idea of extra school at first, but he'd gone the first day just for me (and a bribe of Ramen from a stand that was fairly popular and didn't mind him. That had been a very expensive trip. ) All it had taken was seeing how much of the academy work was theory and written, which he didn't know. That and being just another kid in the civilian school, that had been instructed to not fight or hit. I think it was the secondary class, the fact that kids were talking to him and about at his comprehension level as they did not have the chakra enhanced growth. This had been a huge change. He'd been adorably excited when after the first week in the cleaning of the classroom exercises a number of the kids claimed he was the best at cleaning the erasers. I guess he'd figured out a way to do it that was dramatic and messy..but amusing.

Not to mention the gaki soaked up praise.

Seriously he tracked me down to the grocery store just to tell me how awesome he was at cleaning blackboard erasers.

I kept working on his manners as much as a clan affiliated with dogs as mine cared for them, if he could mimic me then he got to eat out sometimes and try new foods. I was teaching him how to address people, and control his volume so that he didn't sound either uncertain or boorish. I'd use practice lessons for him to see the evidence himself, challenging him to address people in one way and report back how they had responded. The kid was a natural, he should have been Inuzuka. He was direct, bluntly honest, brash and entertaining but also smart. One of the days he was visiting me though he blurted out something regarding when I could teach him a cool jutsu.

"Ah, sorry Naruto.." Yeah the gaki had demanded we were on first name basis. It was cute, in an overbearing way. He had worn me down though and I just yielded to it at this point. "I didn't become a shinobi."

"But..I mean..wait.."

"Don't start a sentence with but." I didn't actually care, yet my mother had drilled that into me so often it came out of me as a habit. I was weeding my garden at the moment while the gaki perched nearby just watching me. "It's all right. I know I told you I went to the academy but I didn't pass like everyone else.." yes a little misdirection there pipsqueak, don't ever catch on. "So while I went for the usual eight years..not a prodigy or anything..I never passed the standard exam jutsu's. I am one of many who didn't, and so I have my odd little hobbies to make money from." I looked up through my lashes at the most adorable face full of pity for me. I'm thinking I need to talk to Ibiki and Inoichi about this kid, his cuteness could be a weapon. He's slowly making me actually _like_ him. Oh he still terrifies me for what he carries inside, but the carrier himself is a pretty darn sweet kid with a loyal streak only an Inuzuka or Ikiryo could match.

"You would be such a cool shinobi though.." Naruto is pouting at me now and it's all I can do not to smile as he pauses, gathering his thoughts. I'm proud he's come this far in so short a time. Really, it's not even been half a year and the little sponge that he is just soaks up everything. "So..I ..it doesn't upset you, I mean..me..and.." he trails off and fidgets nervously. He's trying to think of a polite way to say his next words but he is just a kid and I know he'll end up taking the rip the bandage off approach soon enough. That's fine, again, it's how my clan is and I like that about him. "I mean, when I graduate and become a super strong ninja and hokage and..I don't want to make you sad."

I pause and look at him, seriously look at him. His hands are dirty from trying to help but he did pull the wrong plants out. His eyes are so serious and blue and that may even be a few tears trying to sneak out. His clothing is still in bad shape but I've not started on that one yet. He has his hair actually cut shorter and layered a bit so the spikes are more even. I managed to convince him to let me tidy his hair for school and took him to his first barbershop. Predictably, the civilian old man spoiled Naruto rotten for being so well behaved about it and even promised to color the tips -a big trend with the civilian kids right now- if he got high grades on his next report cards. Plural. The civilian's I had introduced him too were I think hoping he'd 'come to his senses' like I supposedly had and were completely behind my having him go to regular school. My father had made me do the same, and tutored me at home even though my mother hadn't understood why the regular ninja schooling and clan teachings weren't enough.

My lips pulled into that fang showing smile then and I wiped my hands off before going to crouch infront of the demon container. I didn't initiate contact often, scooping him up to throw over my shoulder was hardly affectionate and I would allow him to hug my legs when he'd first find me but otherwise it was rare I'd pat his shoulder or head. That required something special. It wasn't my being cruel, it was the fact that such touch imparted pack and pack was so serious to me. Even my practically nephew Kiba didn't get cuddled or anything. It wasn't our way. "Uzumaki Naruto.." I waited until his eyes met mine before I set my hands on his shoulders, feeling his whole body shudder. Poor kid _craved_ contact and I just couldn't hand it out without meaning it. I wouldn't do that to him. I wouldn't lie. Any and everything up to this point was because he startled it out of me or I wanted to do it, I would keep it in that exact fashion. "If you became the strongest shinobi ever, and did it for the right reasons..I'd be glad to say I knew you when you couldn't even tell a weed from a vegetable." I meant it too.

Naruto half closed his eyes, leaning into my hands on his shoulders and I let him. I didn't pull my hands away but I didn't pull him closer, either. I could tell he didn't wish to close his eyes, as if he was memorizing this moment.

"Thanks, Anrui.." Naruto gave one of his rare tiny shy smiles, the ones that didn't scream infectious joy but instead made me feel I was very lucky. I wasn't sure why. "So you can't ..you aren't a Shinobi? Are you just really bad?"

I chuckled at how far off the mark he was and grinned, look underneath the underneath kiddo.. "I'm just very special I guess. But the benefit is since I did my years in the academy I can help you out, hey?"

"Will you teach me how to throw kunai? I mean, when it's time.." He already knew I wouldn't teach anything ahead that would get him used to violence because of the other school he went to. Instead I paused and tilted my head in thought. I had learned kata's that used an opponent's motions against them to calm and stretch my body at his age. He may be able to handle some of them. I nodded my head though, rather then a verbal response.

Naruto didn't move. I wouldn't be the first to pull away. I wouldn't draw him closer and he had very good instincts. Perhaps the only good thing he gained from the fox in his belly. Naruto simply seemed to have picked up on my lack of physical contact with others and thankfully realized it wasn't just him. Rather, compared to even the other villagers I would interact with and their own little spawns, Naruto got more from me already. I'd fully never intended to let him even do that. Sometimes, it was only remembering that no matter the monstrous creature within him, this was just a tiny child. A strong willed worthy little pup. My instincts were able to scent and sense what he carried, a lingering from being able to 'ghost' in my chakra based jutsu's meant I was hyper sensitive to spiritual chakra. His very scent to me had the burning scent from the Kyuubi's attack in my memories. Those same instincts though kept me from being distant.

The kid has seriously adorable puppy eyes.

My body probably would have felt like it was numbing at this point if not for all the training in my past, and I could only imagine Naruto's legs had fallen asleep. He still didn't move, and I closed my eyes with a sigh. My instincts were at war. Not yet though, I wouldn't pull him close yet. My Ikiryo side though acknowledged that it was plausible if things kept up, I would start to see Naruto as a packmate. I knew if that day came I would have to approach the Hokage again, and it wouldn't go well.

Slowly I removed my hands and stood, looking down at the dejected form though was hard.

Demon container. Container. Jailor.

Just a little kid.

Damnit.

"Come on..let's go into the back. At your age my father had me doing a few basic stretches that help build up muscle. When you're fidgety they're fantastic." I turned and didn't wait for him. I knew he'd follow. Sure enough the patter of his feet, still walked too heavy and needed to learn to be quiet but the academy could handle that aspect of his training. He always slowed as we went through my house, as if he couldn't get enough of seeing everything. It wasn't much, I had comfortable furniture in dark grays and black with the random colorful throw pillow. Inoichi liked to get ones that said really sarcastic sayings for me. I had one from Ibiki that was an atomically correct red heart. He had it in black. Some people got friendship bracelets, we got creepy heart pillows. Inoichi'd had one in blue but apparently little Ino-chan had decided it was hers.

It seemed fitting Ino had her daddy's heart.

My floor was wood, part of me kept fluttering in hope I'd have my own nin-dog some day so much of my décor reflected this. There was no rug. I liked the feeling of wood floors either sun warmed or chilled under bare feet. I did have a lot of fluffy fur blankets all over, but I liked curling up in those. My walls were cream, plants climbed over bookshelves and sat in windows. Hardy ones that were hard to kill. I had books and scrolls stuffed in a number of areas, an entire wall floor to ceiling was just for them but the overflow was rather massive. There were pictures on the walls of various people, plenty were paintings I had done over the years. Many of them would never make sense to anyone else as it was pure imagination.

I kept the ones from things V had shared in the early days safely locked away. I couldn't have explained the pictures that were my best attempt to remember V's life as her memories had faded. These would likely never be seen and I could never explain the people or items in them anyways. It had been the last thing I did before V faded to more a sense of things. I guess it was closure.

My favorite color is blue. It's followed by any shade of green found in nature and the soothing shades of blacks and grays. I like natural wood furniture and flooring and it's obvious in my home. As we passed the wall of photos that showcased my own academy days -and didn't Inoichi look silly back then, and Ibiki had a full head of hair- into the kitchen I pretended to not see Naruto swipe a pear from my fruit bowl. He was getting better at it to his credit.

"So the point of these stretches I'm going to teach you will make you more flexible. It'll strengthen your muscles at the same time and when you start learning the academy fighting style should let you be less awkward. It'll feel really silly and off to begin with though."

"I can do it!" Naruto was nodding adamantly and it made me chuckle. Have to say, he doesn't do anything by halves. Slowly I started teaching him the most obvious of stretches. Toe touches, ones for his hamstrings and calves. I taught him a few twists and then taught him how to do a sit up. As the days would go on, and he'd come insisting he needed something new, balancing poses started to be incorporated. Those he had great fun with as I reminded him it was every day you practiced because each day impacted the next on your body. He was insanely flexible. It had taken me months when my father taught me, to do half the twists and forms that Naruto could. He had trouble holding them though and so we got in the game of seeing if he could hold a pose the entire time I did a small chore. We'd discuss the questions he had on both ninja and non-ninja schooling. We'd make up rhymes to challenge his word association.

The gaki was fitting himself into my life as though he had always been there.

It completely terrified me how naturally it was happening too.

()()()()()

The first time Ibiki brought it up, I was sprawled on his insanely comfortable couch with my head in his lap and my hands toying with Inoichi's fingers as his head rested on my stomach. Inoichi managed to do that without crushing me by leaning back while he sat on a cushion on the floor. Really, I'd gotten my packmates so used to physical contact with me that when alone we were just a puppy pile.

Come to think of it, back in the day before Ibiki's traps upgraded to lethal even for those trying to spy in the windows, this behavior probably spawned a lot of those rumors about us.

"You never mention Uzumaki." Ibiki's tone was even but I could read my heart brother. He was upset, we didn't leave anything out if we had a choice. By necessity I didn't know any of their T&I work really, well not officially though I could put a _lot_ together just from knowing them. I lifted my chin to stare up at Ibiki. His eyes locked onto mine and I blinked several times. He was worried for me. "I know it's going well, I read the report before it's destroyed..the Hokage allows me that. But it doesn't say anything about how you feel."

Someone else might be startled to hear Ibiki talk feelings, but it's precisely because he can care so much that he can know how to tear others apart. Inoichi hums softly at my abdomen, agreeing silently. In the last few months, aside from the few snippets of information I suppose I have not brought up the little gaki. I sigh slowly, breathing in their scent to organize my thoughts.

"I suppose because here..I can forget."

Inoichi chuckles then and I feel his smile against my bare abdomen, it's a hot night out and while they are both shirtless, I'm just in a loose tank top. We're shinobi, they're practically immune to seeing bodies at this point and as far as I am concerned they are my pack. They could be naked and it wouldn't matter, but I'm still glad they aren't. They _are_ my brothers after all. "It's nice to know we're still the most important in your life. Seeing as we haven't gotten invited over since your mission started."

"He likes staking out my house. A lot. Really, if he ever figures out how to get past the traps in the guest room window's I wouldn't be surprised if he forced his way in!"

Ibiki snorts at that, he'd been the one to install the traps after all. No one is getting in there unless I let them in the door from the hallways. Considering ninja, that's actually the last way they would think of entering. It's why sometimes you'll never see Shinobi lock their doors but the windows and air vents will be trapped to the point you couldn't body flicker in. Yet you'd just be able to push open the door and meander through. It seriously never occurs to most shinobi. Ever. Ibiki stays quiet a while before he speaks, and the very fact we are in his home and safe is probably the only reason he voices his thoughts. "It feels like you are being stolen away by this mission..we don't see you as much."

I flinch, it is nearly my exact words from when they graduated, leaving me behind. Inoichi was technically older by quite a few years but the Yamanaka enrolled later then most, they had to develop their minds better. As an experiment he also claimed to be younger on his academy paperwork and no one every figured it out. It's kind of amazing how people don't look at the obvious. With my two older (and only) friends gone the last few years of the academy had been brutal for me. I'd whimpered and I do mean whimpered, those words to them during their genin year. We figured it out, three determined souls as we are. Still, Ibiki and Inoichi are shinobi and they are my pack. We are all three possessive and they aren't enjoying the separation. Neither am I.

"I don't like it either." I turn slightly, one arm going around Ibiki's waist, my other being kept in Inoichi's hold. "The gaki is ..he deserves more then I'm doing. He really does. Yet, I need you."

Inoichi is the one who responds, his words tickling my stomach but in typical fashion he is too lazy to move away and be heard more clearly. That and he likes making me squirm. He _could_ just talk telepathically but sometimes his Nara teammate seems to have rubbed off in the lazy department. "We can handle ourselves, Anrui. Don't lose yourself in this mission." Underneath his meaning makes me go boneless in relief as Ibiki grunts an agreement. They're willing to work with this, they won't be hostile but they won't fake it either. They're protecting me again, my wonderful packmates. It's a bond that just doesn't exist for most but Ibiki and Inoichi, they have no Ikiryo or Inuzuka blood but somehow Inoichi had been in my mind enough, and Ibiki's to share some of the instincts. We have truly at one point in our youth broken down all the barriers between us. They understand me as I understand them because we risked everything one mission. We don't speak of it, even our report to the Hokage was glossed over. Technically we endangered the mission. It was our fifth one out as a team and it went so terribly wrong. What we admitted to was finding a way around it and coming out successful. The after effects was our close friendship had become where even before my Inuzuka cousins, my instincts recognized these two as my pack. They were a part of my heart in such a way no one ever would be again.

It would have killed us to replicate it.

"So, we resume the slumber parties?" Coming from Ibiki it just sounded so funny, sending me into giggles but Ibiki did love to mess with your thoughts.

"Yes Ibiki, we resume the evenings. You'll have to lay off the poison though..I haven't taught him yet. He's just learning to steal things. Four or five years old you know?" They didn't correct me on my lack of knowing his age. I didn't want data I didn't get on my own. It would complicate things.

"Right, numbing agents then."

Inoichi chortled at Ibiki as I snickered "Should I bring Ino?"

"Not yet. Let's make sure ..actually.." I paused then thinking. Remembered how desperate Naruto was for physical contact. "Soon though, I think Ino and her hugs of doom may be just what he needs."

Ibiki muttered softly "And they call me a sadist.."

()()()

Nothing prepared me for the betrayed kicked puppy expression on Naruto's face when he said I had company from where he found me in the grocery store the next day. He'd been coming to find me almost daily now, at least when he had school. I lifted a brow at the little gaki as I walked, bags dangling, and just waited. He was a kid, no matter whom, even the Hyuuga and Uchiha children would blurt things out.

Heck even the Aburame brats did, though they almost always answered their own questions in the process.

"There's strange people in your home!" Naruto looked like he was devastated. I had to pause a moment and wonder just how often he was there when I wasn't, lurking nearby that the idea of someone else being in my house brought him so much distress. Hopefully the little brat wasn't sleeping in my bushes or something.

"Describe them?"

Naruto stopped walking and just stared, I kept going. The kid was ridiculously talented. Seriously the numerous ways he had potential was enough to make a grown woman like myself jealous. I wouldn't let my coveting his natural shinobi gifts stand in the way of encouraging them however, I didn't want to risk his losing them. Losing natural talent early made it nearly impossible to reclaim it later on. It was something I'd always feel V rise up over concerning the gaki. "Well, Naruto? You know what I'm asking, yes?"

He slowly walked beside me, his months of my strange training making him wary but deep in thought. The fact I wasn't panicking was not understandable to him yet but he was trying to figure it out. "Um, one was tall in a big coat and had a napkin on his head.." His description of Ibiki caused me to snort in laughter, which set Naruto at ease. Seriously the kid fed on attention and spit out happiness. Wondered if it was some strange bloodline trait. "The other had really long blonde hair, lighter then mine. Up in a funny hairstyle. They were both _inside_ though! Inside! Not hit by the traps either.."

Naruto had of course, managed to get caught in all the traps at least once. I'd begged Ibiki to remove the lethal ones almost from the start but it just made my sadistic packmate get _creative_ which was almost worse.

"Ah, that should be Morino Ibiki, and Yamanaka Inoichi. They're friends from when I went to the academy who don't shun me for failing." A little truth in a lie, and Naruto bought it, his jaw dropped. "They're..shinobi? Those two?!"

"Mm. Good ones too. They're a bit weird though, like me." I chuckled at the understatement but grinned down at the boy. "Really if you can remember the things I've taught you even a little you'll be fine Gaki."

Naruto piped up then, his voice so tiny, so unsure that it tugged at my hearstrings. It was moments like this I forgot the burn and the sting of the fox scent under his own, the oily red chakra I could sense just out of range with my abilities. Just a little kid. A little pup. "You wouldn't mind if I met your friends?"

Blast it. At this rate the brat was going to win me over, and unlike almost everyone else I could still smell/feel/sense the creature that was inside him. I still had nightmares of that night and the devastation and my father and I had been outside of Konoha proper for a camping trip! I looked down into watery blue eyes hopeful, yet so afraid to be hoping that it wouldn't just be my sudden laugh and a joke at his expense. With a soft sigh I just nodded. I was not going to deny my instincts and they were starting to accept the little one. A faint snort and a grunt was his answer. It was Inuzuka talk, body language and canine sounds often instead of words and I was falling into it out of discomfort. I must have been doing it more often, or the brat had frighteningly good instincts there too..fox maybe had passed on something useful.

Because I swear he understood my noises and I had done them out of habit. He just fell into step after me and held out his arms for the lightest of the bags.

Well. Looks like my little tag along was about to meet two of the more feared Shinobi in the village.

Hm. I hope Inoichi brought his camera.


	5. Naruto meets Ibiki and Inoichi

AN: Hehehheheheeee... before this bit began I had over 17k words to this story.

And we're just getting started. This is a bit of a light hearted piece but necessary. I may have a time skip by a few years soon.

()()()()()

"Ahhhh! Ahm goffa geffa bwach!"

Turns out Inoichi did bring his camera.

Ibiki brought the numbing agents because if he says something, believe he means it. After a few awkward moments with the three males in my life (though one wasn't exactly invited in) as I had started to lay out the snacks for the evening, Ibiki had started a prank war. Ibiki is always the one who starts it, the evil little shit.

I may have completely forgotten to warn Naruto about the fact that while most girls had slumber parties with painting nails and doing hair, and maybe guys read magazines they shouldn't admit to and drank beer. My little pack had always just been, crazy. Ibiki had snatched one of the teriyaki skewers and while everyone else grabbed a few, I had thrown one to Naruto who actually caught it and was clearly stunned at the strange 'well whatever' attitude that had taken over with him being there. We were just going to behave as normal and the gaki would be included. Trial by fire is kinda the Konoha way. So while we started to tussle over what over the many food items I had, Ibiki had of course spiked the drinks.

I had gone to make tea, Inoichi and Ibiki had grabbed for those weird aloe clump juice waters that are flavored and Naruto had copied them. I heard the laughter and came out with my mug of tea and sat down amused watching a confused and cross eyed Naruto stare at his tongue that was out while the other two laughed. Of course, they did not forget that Naruto was often the butt of cruel jokes and so before the gaki could take it personally I chuckled and grinned. "Don't worry Naruto, it's sort of Ibiki's way to try and kill us to keep us sharp. The fact he got the stuff in your drink just means you are one of us tonight. Just don't touch the alcohol and you're good."

"Thoiwan!?" I am pretty sure he shrieked poison there. Ibiki gave a smug 'Hngh' sound and Inoichi was chortling. Seeing as I had the only working lips and tongue I nodded.

"I promise it's none of it dangerous. Heck, come to think of it..pretty easy to get and distribute...Ibiki?"

A nod. Yeah, he wasn't going to embarrass himself so clearly he'd taken the substance too to help foster good will from the brat. I do love my evil mastermind packmate.

"Work on upping your strategy in ninja school and your history score in civilian class and I'll let him teach you where to find the stuff to make that. Be good for pranks."

"Ish how he firsh usthed he shuff." Inoichi said casually. Naruto of course fell into laughter hearing someone else talking so oddly. I rolled my eyes, smiling fondly and settled in, being ever so careful to never let my cup within Ibiki pranking range.

"Seeing as for now at least, I'm the only one who can talk...what Inoichi means is that Ibiki first came up with the numbing agent in food as a prank in the academy. Managed to get it into all the staff and they talked weird for the day. Was a fantastic day of class for all the grades, they were a few years ahead of me."

Drawing attention to his actions for Naruto's sake, as the boy didn't have our eyes or senses unless Ibiki made a show of pulling out a vial and popping one of the chewable pills to reverse the effect; Naruto would have never noticed. He then held it out to Inoichi and grinned at Naruto.

"Well, seeing as Anrui has claimed you've got talent..." Ibiki made the vial vanish. "You just have to convince me to give the antidote to you. Or wait three hours."

That was where Naruto's garbled threat that he'd get revenge on Ibiki had started. Inoichi made eye contact with me and rolled his eyes, I just nodded to confirm the insanity that Naruto was getting himself into. Ibiki may be rather 'strict' and by the code now but in his youth, you know, back when he had short silver hair and not so traumatized..Ibiki had been a very feared prankster. Ruthless. It had even been a four foot scroll with tiny handwritting of his best pranks attached to his resume that had helped secure his current job.

There was actually a clause in his contract that had stated he couldn't prank any superior's. Ibiki had argued the Hokage and the one he would be working under were the only exemptions. Apparently anyone else needed to be on their toes. Anbu _hated_ Ibiki those first few years.

Amazingly, it seemed that Naruto actually fit into our insanity. We ate, we shared stories where Inoichi -who had used his jutsu in front of an enthralled Naruto to force Ibiki to hand him over the antidote- but let Naruto know he was still on his own and reminded him if he couldn't figure out how to beg or steal the substance the effects would be over in three hours but we knew Ino-chan had him so wrapped around her finger he'd probably cave to the darker set of blue eyes soon...anyways, Inoichi was catching me up on the regular ninja news. Shinobi gossip for lack of a better term, all of it easily obtained to anyone with a headband or who was usually around other shinobi. Since I wasn't, and neither was Naruto, we got to hear everything from what idiotic new taxes were out, if there was a new weapons shop and the like. A slight tilt of Ibiki's head as Inoichi rambled on to Naruto about how a new genin didn't apply chakra correctly and instead of bouncing from the rooftops landed through one and ended up in the hospital and I blinked.

Ibiki's dark eyes locked onto mine and there was that _pushpullpartofmePack_ sensation that could flare up between the three of us. It wasn't a jutsu..per se. It was a really screwed up result of Ibiki's genjutsu backfiring into chakra exhaustion, my chakra abilities when I was ghosting and didn't have the energy to phase back correctly, and a half delirious terrified Inoichi with a head injury. A long time ago. It was our biggest secret, not even the Hokage knew of this one and I just tilted my head. Our eyes locked and I had a flicker of sensation and thoughts and even the lingering tickle of the numbing agent around my lips before it passed. Just a few moments but in that time we could [pass] so much to each other. Ibiki was pleased, I had the thought (wasn't originally mine) in that short time that Naruto hearing these sessions would only eventually lend credence to my being nothing special and just a civilian who stayed close to her shinobi friends. Of course Ibiki would like that, and I admit no child that's natural could keep such secrets. There was also the surprised interest that the little demon container was interesting rather then annoying, and contentment that the three of us were spending time together.

There was also the smug never grew up delight Ibiki had in a new victim to prank but it was part of why I loved my brother.

I blinked my eyes several times to come back to myself fully, it wasn't easy and left us as vulnerable as shinobi were willing to get for a short time. Still, nothing every improves with out practice. I just chuckled and leaned over into Ibiki contently, humming once.

It got really loud then with Naruto spluttering. Apparently the sight of my 'cuddling' Ibiki had him convinced we were an item. He even held up his pinky finger with his face bright pink. Ibiki and I of course, being so much older, had no idea what that meant until a laughing Inoichi explained it to us. Apparently Ino had subjected Inoichi to a very long lecture on exactly what this meant and it boiled down to 'coupley stuff'. I didn't even need to guess to know that Ibiki and I had the same wickedly amused smirk on our faces.

"They're my _pack_ , Naruto." I said softly. The adorable little gaki didn't seem to get it, no one else really did. "My family. We aren't related by blood but Inoichi and Ibiki are my brothers. We're pack." It was such a simple word for how tightly the three of us were bound. It was easier to say that the very sordid rumors about the three of us out there were impossible specifically because it would mean a lesser bond then what we had. Soulmates weren't always romantic. I chuckled then seeing as Naruto was probably thinking normally about this and I needed to stress it early to him, so he didn't get upset that I wouldn't be able to hear him claim me as pack in one of his hyper moods. "It's a very serious permanent thing. The Inuzuka clan is my family but they aren't part of my pack."

"Ino isn't either, not truly. She's just a little wolf pup and hasn't found a place. It doesn't mean she isn't loved, Ino is my daughter after all and she's precious to me. Because of that though she's precious to my sister and brother, Naruto." Inoichi was good with kids, unlike Ibiki and I and he just smiled at the spluttering boy. There was such a sharpness to his focus right now, as if he was trying to figure out if he was being included or excluded.

To his credit, so were we.

"I suppose.." Ibiki spoke slowly, evenly, decisively. "You'd be more..pack friend. An ally. New to the two of us as you are.."

Instinct had me turn and bite Ibiki on his ear with a growl, I knew my eyes would be sharp and cold but my world narrowed.

()()()()

Inoichi pulled Naruto to his side, passing him the extra antidote tablet not wanting the little boy to be scared as the sudden flare of killing intent, minor though it was from Ibiki, surfaced. "don't worry." Inoichi looked down at the darker blonde boy who had his blue eyes so wide, even as he crunched the tablet. "Really, don't. I'm sure you've picked up Anrui's a bit..dog like?" Inoichi had to remind himself this was a young newly being educated child who had suffered neglect until the past few months. He wasn't on Ino's level. Not yet at least. At the boys hesitant nod he smiled. "You ever see dogs in the street's fight and bark over seemingly nothing?"

"Yeah, sometimes.." Naruto's eyes flickered up to Inoichi before going back to the now _growling_ Anrui and narrow eyed Ibiki who was..trying to growl back?

"Well Anrui is very much like them. All the Inuzuka are, but she's a bit more. We're used to it, she snaps, barks, growls, howls when winning a game of tag if I recall.." Inoichi trailed off in fond memory, not that he'd tell Naruto she also tended to howl if riled up and fighting for their lives and she made a kill. It was something they just couldn't break her of and not the safest instinct when hunting as a shinobi but, there you go. Fantastic ghostly bloodline gifts..meet womanly temper and canine brain. "Right now she's just trying to put Ibiki in his place because he said something so serious concerning our heirarchy without her permission. See, Anrui is the little runt of our pack.."

Naruto's eyes were back on him with a giggle, the boy covering his mouth in delight. Inoichi was being very careful to nudge at Naruto's mind with a subtler version of his clan's jutsu they often used on toddlers so he wouldn't pay as much attention to the mild killing intent and snarling but otherwise stoic shinobi. "Yeah, she's the runt, Naruto. I'm the oldest, then Ibiki. But since Anrui's the one with the instincts-" he left it unspoken that in many ways she had the ability to back it up too. Genjutsu rarely worked on her with her strange chakra unless from either of them who had practiced it, unfortunately the same could be said for medical jutsu's so it wasn't all good. But when your opponent could make it where tai and ninjutsu couldn't hit but she could just beat the crud out of you? It may have been her only real technique they worried over but it was effective. She was still working her way through her father's scrolls but time and place to safely practice was hard to come by when obeying the 'don't let anyone know about your really being a shinobi for the Hokage' rule.

"So her instincts have her snap at us and try to put us in our places. Really that's normal for shinobi clan women anyways, and it doesn't mean she doesn't agree with his views so don't be upset there." Inoichi lifted a brow at the way Naruto stiffened. Really, Inoichi was a master mind reader, of _course_ he knew what had really upset the kid. "It's just that Ibiki said it without her permission, in her home, her territory, and with you here." Inoichi lowered his voice then. "She is rather protective of you in her own way..Even if she likes to stay quiet about it."

"really?" The quivering voice, the wide moist eyes. These were genuine, Inoichi could tell. At that moment he felt his heart strings tugged on because if this little child wasn't so similar and yet different to his precious Ino. Now he saw why Anrui's comment about Ino and her hugs of doom may be applicable. He'd look into introducing them before Ino managed to be a brat in the academy. Sweet and precious his little lady was but a spoiled brat with an attitude and ego she was too. It was a Yamanaka thing.

"Indeed. What we are doing tonight? The snacks, the chatting, the silliness? This is normal. She hasn't let us come over for a while because she didn't want you to feel uncomfortable. Anrui's prickly like a cactus, Naruto. Be patient and let her initiate everything." It was the best advice he could give the little demon container, because it was clear to him from this visit and seeing them interact. Anrui already had a spot for Naruto in her heart, this wasn't a mission anymore. It would just be a good long while before her brain caught up to that. Chuckling he ruffled the blonde's hair, he had been _technically illegally_ checking out Naruto's mind while they talked, hiding it under a genjutsu to share what he needed the boy to know.

It was enough for Inoichi to rest assured this child next to him had nothing in common with the demonic fox, and he could accept him.

That said Inoichi turned back to watch Anrui and Ibiki growl. He knew Naruto, and perhaps anyone not affiliated with canines would see just them staring and growling but he'd spent years now around Anrui besides their little pack bond. The volume of the growls, that she'd bitten Ibiki and he didn't return it when she chastised him in such a way. The absolute stillness of their forms. Finally Ibiki flicked his eyes away and Anrui fell silent, a faint huff and leaning back into him as if nothing had happened. Really, for how long they were growling he figured they'd been tapping out ninja code to the other on the non visible hands.

They did stuff like that. Even in the midst of an argument. He took another picture while they were growling and distracted because it was just hilarious to see the runt taking Ibiki to task.

()()()()()

It turned out, Naruto had created a drinking game.

A non alcohol related one but it still worked. I didn't doubt that Ibiki would find a way to use it for work, either. Essentially Naruto challenged us all to telling funny prank related stories with very diluted versions of Ibiki's numbing agent. We would tell a prank that we had done, done not seen or thought of but actually accomplished. The other three would guess if it was true or not. If you guessed wrong, you had to take a drink of our chosen beverage. If it you guessed correctly you didn't. The three of us knew each other well enough we _could_ fake each other out slightly but not enough even for such a game. Instead it was a subtle test for Naruto to see if he was really as ..I hate to use the phrase but..prodigal..as I felt he could be.

Prodigies fail if you suppress them. Say what you will any other way but the gaki's parents had definitely both been impressive. His father was easily a prodigy in a once in a generation way. His mother had been a chakra monster but very clever and skilled at combat. It was definitely possible Naruto had slipped under the radar. If the potential to be a ninja prodigy was there, Ibiki, Inoichi, and myself wanted to find out. We'd already lost precious time to help him if that was so. Shinobi prodigies are _different._ They are entirely reliant on the first six or seven years to shape their potential. If they don't have enough help to develop it then they often fail to do so properly later. They'll still excel but in only one or two areas. The prejudice of the village may have done irreparable damage but we would find out.

"I was running through the alleys cuz I can sneak through places with broken fences and run through back store rooms, so I managed to avoid even the masked guys after I put glue on the Hokage's chair! They were so distracted they didn't see me planting the stink bombs by all the stalls of the food sellers who were mean to me." Naruto ended his very long prank spiel. Apparently one prank for him led into another, very curious.

The three of us were just blinking. We had let Naruto go first. After all how much could one little kid have gotten up to in the way of unbelievable pranks?

The answer is we couldn't even talk. So he kept going. After the fifth prank spiel we just had enough of the numbing agents in our system to talk funny. The seventh made my tongue feel swollen. We were on twelve. Twelve times the sheer absurdity of a kid his age pulling this stuff off made us doubt all our intelligence gathering and doubt him. Dread coiled in my stomach as I had shaken my head and he got that blasted foxy grin. Again.

Huh. The gaki had duped me and two of T&I's finest.

We threw the drinks back and Naruto smirked and nodded, pleased. "I really did. Sorry.."

I felt more sorry for the little blonde to be honest. The way my brother's were eying him I suppose I should eventually let Naruto in on the fact that they saw his potential. Naruto wasn't book smart, but he had _instincts_ and talent that landed him in an entirely different prodigal sphere. 'Uncle' Ibiki wanted to harness him for something.

I had a feeling it was the prankster side of Ibiki that wanted him as an apprentice too. Poor Konoha.


	6. A year goes by

AN: Mini skip. Probably do one year each chapter for a bit. Enjoy my insanity. Slightly more serious chapter.

()()()()

"So, Uncle Ibiki seems to be right." Naruto said as he walked in, ditching his shoes at the front door by the sound of it.

"Well hello to you too Naruto, welcome back brat." I called out sarcastically as I kept washing the rice to set in the cooker.

"Pfft. You smelled me a mile away." Naruto was laughing as he said that, I think the skills I had from my clan never ceased to amaze him, of course he liked to tease me about them too. I'd caught him trying to improve his sense of smell, who knows, maybe with the fox in him he'd do it.

"Go wash up in the bathroom!" I snapped out, grinning at how comfortable he was.

This was an entirely normal yelled exchange now. A year had passed since the great 'meet the Pack' meeting. Somehow time just hadn't been on the side of introducing Ino-chan the hugger of doom with Naruto the perpetually in need of affection. I think it was partly because my brothers and I are selfish and we rather enjoy the looks of awe from Naruto.

Yeah. Seriously. Shinobi remember? Screwed up and shallow.

Naruto dropped his book bag by the door and went into wash up as I continued making lunch. Naruto had a routine now, he'd leave the orphanage in the morning and go to the academy until lunch. At that point it broke up for the younger classes and he'd come over to eat and fill me in. Then he'd take a snack with him and go to civilian school for the afternoon session and either visit me for dinner or go cause pranking trouble if not doing homework. Technically the pranks were a sort of homework from Ibiki but that was a secret he'd actually managed to keep. During the weekends he'd join me in town to help out with those I knew there and soak up the attention from those who weren't ninja and saw him as just a regular kid. That yakisoba haunt of mine had taken to utterly spoiling him and he'd get extra mochi in a bag when we left. He still wasn't pack or family really, but even I could admit he had a nice little spot in my life now. I'd taken to calling him my seriously whacked out little cousin and the gaki had piped up that meant Ibiki and Inoichi were his creepy evil overpowered uncles.

They'd been very happy with their new titles. So was I, apparently he'd picked up on the dynamics of Inuzuka enough he'd call me Alpha bitch or boss as often as nee-san out in public. He was even learning some of the growls and grunts that were for greeting or affirming things. Body language was something else he was picking up on like a freaking sponge, Ibiki and Inoichi had swiftly realized that brains were not Naruto's skill but observation and improvisation was. That and eventually sheer brute force. Made sense with his lineage.

"Can I help?" Naruto came over, the faint pine scent of the soap in the bathroom clinging to him and I chuffed once, pointing to the teapot. A laugh greeted me as he started to dig through the cupboards -I'd moved everything lower so he could get things- looking for what tea he wanted to use that day. Since it was an electric kettle and one of the first things he learned from watching me was how to prep tea, he'd taken it over as his job.

"So, now what was Ibiki right over? Is he going to be insufferable again?" I asked calmly as I set the rice in the second cooker. I hated leftover rice so I always had a fresh batch going, Naruto would take the left overs with him and use it for breakfast the next day or a night snack at the orphanage.

"Very." Naruto had a faint edge to his voice, one that I knew was to blame by my packmates influence and I hummed, waiting.

"We were trying an experiment..to see if they're purposefully sabotaging the training of orphans over clan kids." I'm sure that it was one particular orphan but Ibiki couldn't exactly explain that one could he? Naruto kept going. "So he's asked me to keep track of my tests, results, if the tests seem different from when I hand them in or get them back. If I can spy anything different about the ones around me. I get busted for 'trying to cheat' but it's enough to note if they have different questions. They do. Today was the first time I think that it was a genjutsu over my test though.."

The kid sounded frustrated, a little angry, and hurt. Everything he had a right to be.

"Well, if you are both right..collecting evidence through your years at the academy may save lives later on. I know you're not book smart Naruto.." he snorted, aw look he's picking up habits! "Listen, you've got good eyes and instincts. You also wouldn't just bring this up for no reason. You have a theory?" This was something Inoichi insisted on, that we start trying to get Naruto to think ahead. He'd never be a strategist but as a heavy hitter he needed to not slam into something that would explode. Literally.

"Well...the clan kids always do better. Yet I know Ibiki's not from a clan.." he paused and I could tell the clan kids are always the best had already been seeping into his schooling. I waited. "But it's not that way at my other school. Family doesn't mean anything when it comes to brains there..I mean the best student has a sibling who keeps trying to eat glue and we are way too old for that.." Naruto grunted and then set the tea out, I scooped out rice into two bowls from the other cooker, and topped it with curry to set down, as we both started our lunch I knew he wasn't done. Naruto had the sort of brain that needed to talk to think. Or pace. He needed activity. A result of too much chakra. "So what if it is not that they are clan that makes them better, I mean some have bloodline but the Inuzuka still work their tails off.." Yeah, my clan was still wary around him but I think they liked knowing I was taking him on. Clan thinking was that one of us was always the best for the job. Besides he had these hilarious scuffles with Kiba. I was fully intending to ask Tsume to let the brat join in on some of the clan classes later, if only so he could feel like he belonged somewhere. Tending to nindog's and body language and canine language classes weren't exactly clan secrets.

"True." I paused then and looked at him as I picked out the broccoli, in curry this was seriously my favorite vegetable. "You can see it in the Inuzuka. You can see it in _me."_ I pointed out as I chewed, watching him eye me in thought. While scarfing down his food as fast as he politely could and refilling his bowl a few times. "I am half Inuzuka, but I can't use any of their clan jutsu. But I was a clan kid. So what does that say?"

"Your Ikiryo blood is stronger in you." Naruto didn't even hesitate, he'd been figuring out the difference in the past year and I know Inoichi was insanely proud of him for it. None of us had given him any hints since that one night but he'd managed to guess a while ago that the Ikiryo was wolf based as much as Inuzuka was dog. Technically, hybrid's often didn't do so well. They could go crazy and wild or they'd just be different. A dog would give up if he couldn't figure something out and look to his master, the wolf wouldn't. That was where my stubborn streak came from, I was _loyal_ to those I chose to be loyal to. Nothing else. My Pack. My clan, my hokage, my village, my friends. In that order. My village only came sooner because my good friends were rather patriotic and wouldn't abandon the village anyways. I nodded at Naruto though and decided to help him out. He was barely six after all.

"Exactly. So even though I'm a 'clan kid' I was a different sort of clan. It made me a worse candidate at the academy not better. So you may be on to something." It was true after all, if you judged me as so many did by academy standards I was definitely a failure. As my own weird little niche though I was perfectly as I should be. I was highly impressed though that Naruto and Ibiki had come up with the idea, and Naruto was working on gathering evidence. "It'd be something though..if you can amass all this the entire time at the academy..be something of an ultimate prank wouldn't it?"

A foxy grin was my answer. Apparently 'prank' was the magic word. Gaki.

We returned to our food in silence for a while before Naruto started telling me about what they had studied, I packed up the leftovers for him and sent him on his way. Only when he was gone did I let out a breath, feeling the quiet of my home. In little ways Naruto had started to claim his space in my territory. There was an orange pillow now on my couch. He had a favorite tea cup with little goldfish on it. His chopsticks were the mismatched set. He had a toothbrush in the guest bathroom and picked out the pine scented soaps. I was fine with certain scents, subtle woodsy ones were best and he agreed there. On nights when it would be cold or overly hot, or just plain couldn't handle being at the orphanage he would spend the night. As I'd said to Ibiki over a year ago, he had claimed one of the guest rooms though he preferred sleeping on my giant squishy couch as that was where he'd first met his 'Uncles' and started becoming a part of my life for real.

The year had blurred by. Naruto had thrown himself into studying because he wanted to please his new friends, who later formed into his uncle figures. Ibiki and Inoichi were far more accepting of Naruto then I had feared. Inoichi, was the first to fall. Of course he had Ino and the fact he gave small touches and smiles often ruffling Naruto's hair as he did Ino's had only cemented Naruto's adoration of the fellow blonde. Ibiki was stern and serious, but he had a bit more of my wariness then Inoichi. Neither of us was really kid people but Naruto could make an exception to anything it seemed. Ibiki treated Naruto more like his future apprentice.

Me? I was his big sister figure best I could tell. I preferred the term cousin, close enough to care but distant enough no one really expected me to do much about it. I certainly wasn't his mother and I had no interest in being one. That was something I found hard to explain, I found kids amusing enough if they weren't screaming or spewing bodily functions out. I liked to borrow Hana and Kiba and return them to Tsume after tussling about with them on a full sugar high. I was their favorite 'auntie' and quite content that way. Unlike some Inuzuka's my evenings weren't filled with a string of lovers. I felt the more wolf inspiration of my bloodline and knew I would likely never find myself a true partner, without one I had no interest in even considering children.

Besides, Ibiki and Inoichi would keep anyone else away. I wouldn't be able to tolerate a non ninja or at least ninja understanding male, and no one could know I was a shinobi to the Hokage. Not a good way to start an intimate relationship, already hiding so much of myself. I felt no guilt over doing so in regards to my semi psuedo family member in Naruto though, either some day he would be important enough to me I would fill him in or he would just never know. I slipped my hand through my gloves and walked out a little later, heading straight for the civilian part of town. It was far into Konoha, often not as well kept as the shinobi parts of town. People here made due with their efforts and manpower rather then chakra and it showed. Paint sometimes was peeling off locations or faded, things weren't in as good of repair. People moved slower and no one was jumping at every sound. It was a world within another world, and I felt my shoulders ease and my steps slow comfortably.

"Ikiryo!" I turned hearing my name called out by a cheerful older man who was waving politely. Chuckling and stepped towards him, one of a pair from my favorite bookseller's. He'd been one of my supporters when I was little and 'failed' the academy. He'd given me my first real job and always kept a special place in my heart. It helped that I loved to read with a voracious passion.

"Hello Tai. I'm happy to see you as always." There was no formality though. I disliked touching many but this elder had been there for me, along with his wife. They had been the ones to shelter me when I needed to get away from ninja, when adjusting without my father and with the clan thinking I was just a failed runt it had been to them I had returned.

I'd slept on a mat in their shop's floor if not one of the chairs inside more nights than Naruto had done the same in my home.

"And we love seeing you..come in for tea?" Tai had soft brown eyes and hair that had once been brown as well but was now thin and gray. His own wife had black eyes and still black hair cut short. They had a softness about them that was missing in shinobi, with smile lines and crows feet that attested to full grins and joy in their life. A childless couple, they had simply decided to take care of any strays in need of a little time and attention. Tai and Mikasa were probably the most influential civilian's in my early life, and remained precious to me. I considered their home, and thus them, my territory. They lived above a crowded shop that was a bit dusty and dark, their home a simple flat. They were good people, honest and hardworking and their scent was of vanilla and books, ink and a little musty, and always, jasmine tea.

"It would be the highlight of my afternoon, thank you."

Tai's eyes danced as he took my elbow and escorted me in. Mikasa was waiting at the counter and she giggled much like a baby in sheer unreserved delight at seeing me. "Ikiryo! Oh dear, darling girl.." Mikasa was no ninja and she moved slower these days, but she had her hands to my face shortly, pulling me down to look me over. I was a little taller then she was and yielded without hesitation. Though they knew my name Anrui, they preferred to call me Ikiryo, because like my name I apparently always seemed to radiate something ghostly to them. It had become a nickname almost. That, and neither wanted to call me 'silent tears'. They really were lovely, I made a mental note to introduce Naruto to them soon.

"Now then.." Mikasa always had tea going, and she handed me the warm gray pottery, one of her own making down at the local shop that had let her use their kiln for a tiny amount. It wasn't a pretty mug, but it was clumsy and adorable and left you feeling special for using something hand made. They had chairs in small groupings in the tiny store and nestled among the poetry books, the tiny little lamps strung over the ceiling, the familiar feel of faded and worn velvet against my back I felt myself going boneless. Jasmine tea just slightly sweetened danced over my tastebuds as warmth pooled in my heart. These people were so very dear to me, and I could say without hesitation I loved them. They were my mentors, my gateway into seeing that beyond school civilian's could offer so much to those around them. "Tell us what you've been up to lately? I heard rumors of a little blonde boy.." Mikasa's soft dark eyes danced in joy as she gossiped and I chuckled.

"Sorry Mikasa, Naruto isn't mine.."

"You mean not your son." Tai smiled at me as he cupped his own tea mug in his large ink stained hands. "You say his name like he's something special. It rolls off your tongue with a comfortable tone.." Tai always had an uncanny ability to read people.

I feel my head nodding without permission and smile softly, to the man who taught me to read the more archaic poems. To find ways to word haiku's and the simple joy of painting with ink. Tai would have been a fantastic lord's scribe, or second son. Instead he was a humble man who had built the very shop we sat in, and loved his books as much as his wife. He could read me too. I'd been coming here so long, and as a civilian I didn't act reserved or wary. My shinobi life and thoughts were locked far away when I was here. I'd found them back when I was Naruto's age, I'd think they'd have learned much of my tells at this point after all.

"He..could be _mine._ " I conceded, I know they are aware of the Ikiryo. They have us in one of their books, and they know of me from my explaining how Ikiryo are different from Inuzuka. I'd had to do that after I'd called them and their home mine before. "Not yet, though special..I would miss him now should he vanish but.." I sip my tea, taking my time to respond. It's quiet in here, the street noise muffled behind the bindings of so many tales. "..I think in time."

"I'm glad." Mikasa nods, birdlike in her swift movements. "I'd like to see you settled down.." her eyes goes to where her hand and Tai's is entwined, just from habit. "To know as we have known contentment. Your eyes gleamed though, Ikiryo. This little Naruto gives you purpose."

I think on that and then slowly nod. This is true. My life is my pack, but with Naruto -mission or not- I find many things I had become dull to knowing, I had simply started to see the gray rather then the rain and clouds that caused it as they fed and nurtured the world around us. Naruto brought back the mud puddles and the races, the awareness of cold breath puffing out and slick ground beneath my feet. He brought life to the ghost who hadn't realized she'd been passing through. I'd been existing, not living. Ibiki and Inoichi were there but my _purpose_ had been missing. Unless a mission came along I had my work, my odd jobs, but nothing I could grasp onto and talk about. I'd been isolated in a crowded village.

I was more aware then ever of the bond I had held unconsciously with the gaki but I just smiled at Mikasa and nodded.

"I'll be sure to bring him by."

The topic changed to recent published works, including their laughing over a popular 'naughty' book that was out now. From the faint flush the two had I just chuckled, old people can be so entertaining. I'd walked in on Inoichi _and_ Ibiki at the wrong moments, shyness wasn't something I had even if you didn't factor in my clan. If Tsume wasn't caught out in one of the public parts of our clan property with a lover at least once a week, she was back on again with Kiba's father. Those days meant romping in the forests so we ran into her less. And she was considered tame.

Whatever other errands I had planned were gently pushed aside. Mikasa and Tai were so happy to see me, and it took a few hours to insist gently that they allow me to help out. I handled moving heavier boxes and dusting some taller shelves, talking the entire time about simple things. I passed on the stories of my honorary niece Ino, Kiba, and Hana. They knew of Ibiki and Inoichi, had met them a few times but mostly were just cool and polite to them. They were shinobi after all, and Tai and Mikasa simply could not understand them anymore then the average civilian could. The classic quandry of the farmer that looks at a wandering warrior covered in blood and thinks with absolute certainty that they could not do that and is comforted by those ideals.

Tai and Mikasa knew if it came to it, they could. For their lives, but simply could not fathom returning again and again, to do things that were not always honorable. It wasn't always about protecting people and the village after all. There was espionage and assassinations and much of this being done with children.

And they were honestly some of the most understanding of the idea of shinobi I had met. Shinobi learned to set who they were aside for the sake of a mission, trusting their Kage to know what was best. Civilian's had to follow their own moral code at all times, sometimes they failed but it was much harder. They could not comprehend simply setting aside a dislike or horror at an act because it was needed to be done to complete a mission.

Both sides did what they needed to move forward.

I was just always caught in the middle. My hand stilled, setting down a particularly soft leather bound book for a moment as the idea swam free.

I was caught pretending I was only a civilian, as even if the truth had come out I would be a lesser shinobi to most. Unable to master jutsu as they did. Naruto, because of what he held within him, would force his way into the shinobi world but always be looked at just a little..off. I was teaching him to integrate with the civilian world because they held no such animosity and indeed blamed the shinobi for so many things that they would ignore shinobi gossip.

Like me, he was between the two.

A little more of my heart went out to him. I looked down over my shoulder, seeing Tai and Mikasa tending to the books and for a moment their older forms were replaced with the aged, but younger versions I had originally met. Time was one thing we always had in dwindling supply, I'd make certain Naruto learned he was truly important to me that night. After I made sure Tai and Mikasa knew the same.

()()()()

It was a rare evening that Ibiki or Inoichi couldn't come, but considering my epiphany in the book shop, I was glad for it. Usually everything was better when I was there with my pack, but tonight I was hoping Naruto came, it was going to be a cold night out and I knew the orphanage was not that warm. I didn't have to wait long. Naruto came bounding in, dropping his shoes and bag at the door and laughing. I chuckled and watched him bounce about as he told me how exciting they had had it today at school because they were all learning classic stories and they were acting them out. He was talking about the samurai in the play they were reading were not as cool as shinobi, but they were still cool. I watched him bounce around and waited for my moment.

Fingers running through Naruto's hair made him suddenly fall silent. He tilted his chin up, eyes closed as he let loose a shudder of pure delight, going still. My fingers combed through the short and ever so soft blonde hair, ruffling his locks affectionately.

For as loud as Naruto was, with this he needed no words.

When he turned with his eyes watering I just left an arm out so he could curl up against me and cry. I think they were happy tears.

Some things, didn't need words.

This _was_ Naruto though.

"So um...I kinda..pranked..the Chunin hang out room in the tower.."

I looked down, smiling as he had clearly picked up on that I had no idea what to say. Besides, I liked his pranks. "Ah?"

"Uh huh. I got that numbing stuff from Ibiki and worked it into a thick paste in the pipe that goes to the water fountain. They'll never figure it out and they'll all be going numb! Ibiki was smirking when I told him what I did with it."

"...That...is pretty funny." I chuckled at the idea of a bunch of Chunin's not knowing why they were talking funny over time. It was not even obvious unless in high dosage so it would take a while for them to pinpoint the water fountain for it. Naruto beamed up at me, then tucked his head back against my side. "Mmm. I think you've successfully full filled his rule of finding a new way to use that..so if I recall Ibiki has to teach you to make a new 'poison' right?"

"Dattebayo!"


	7. Year two

AN: Yeah. This has been building up.. /:}

Longer but rougher chapter. Five years (chapters) to go before we hit the beginning of Naruto timeline in the anime.

()()()()()()()

"Uzumaki Naruto! Get over here and tell me how beautiful I look in my new hair ribbon!" Little seven year old Ino tossed her pony tail to accentuate the blonde strands and stood with her hands on her hips. She had met Naruto just under a year ago and had quickly decided that Naruto was her favorite lackey. The devious little Yamanaka had figured out swiftly that her 'hugs of doom' tended to get a smiling Naruto to agree to just about anything. Ino had taken one look at the quiet and nervous blonde boy, sniffed approvingly at him on the first meeting and said "Well we blondes have ta stick together. But you must always admit I'm the prettiest girl ever and you can be my minion." Naruto had blinked and scratched the back of his head, confused. "You mean friend right?" "Well of course! Just my friends can't be more amazing than I am!" "Well.." Naruto had just not known what to do and Ino had rolled her eyes, bossing him around easily and ignoring the three adults falling over practically in laughter. "Just nod your head. It saves time."

That had been the start of an amusing friendship. Ino's behavior meant no one in the academy picked up on that they were actually friends, because of how she'd start to lecture him and Naruto would just go along with it, utterly confused. Ino had been instructed painstakingly by her father to not give anything away as Naruto was working on cataloging bias against orphans in the academy for Ibiki. Ino was rather tickled to be allowed in on the secret and if her bossing went a little closer to bullying, she'd make up for it later when they'd be at one of the adult's homes. It was fairly impressive for two seven year olds now to be pulling off and Inoichi was as proud of both of them as he could be. Ibiki was biased towards his unofficial prankster apprentice. Anrui would just give them blank looks when they'd try to get her to take sides, mutter about blondes and children, and then go back to what she'd been doing. Ino knew Anrui loved her though, as did Naruto, even if she was more a subtle actions sort than outright words. She'd fix their clothes or muss their hair, and often have a content chuffing sound or a bark to her laugh. Those were good moments, and Naruto never doubted she cared anymore. Her eyes had a specific soft gaze that was his alone, and the demon container loved when he did something to make her proud.

"Coming Ino!" Naruto bolted over to Ino who did have a pretty new pale blue ribbon in her hair. They were out in one of the further training grounds near the Yamanaka's home so Inoichi could work with his heir on her beginning training to use the family jutsu. The thing was, Naruto was a prankster. So he didn't just accept Ino's bossing. He turned it into a game. "Why Ino-chaaaan!" Naruto gasped then and put a hand to his head. "The beauty I see before me makes a hair ribbon so unimportant! Like comparing the radiant sun to a lowly daisy. How lucky I am to be in your presence!" Ino beamed and twirled, delighting in the playful attention. "You're too good for me, and my heart Ino-chan! But I shall pine for you from afar.." Naruto didn't understand half of the stuff he was saying but he'd overheard his uncle's and Anrui jokingly say this sort of thing when they'd been into the sake, and like everything else, he stored it for later.

()()()()()

I looked over at Inoichi and the eldest of us just groaned. "He's going to get her expecting that in the future.."

"On the plus side, he'll make it impossible for any boys who don't see her as family to even try to compete." Ibiki pointed out casually. Ibiki loved mentioning Ino and future boyfriends, then again I'd found an entire file on ways to terrify anyone thinking they were good enough for her so at least he was prepared. It made Inoichi _twitch_. "I suppose it is a good thing we just have the two gaki's, can you imagine otherwise?"

I smirked then and shrugged. "I think Inoichi is the only one of the three of us safe to breed."

"Breed." Ibiki gave me a flat look, his tone utterly not amused at my word choice. I just turned my smirk into a grin.

"Breed. Considering out of the three of us I'd have the most work to do if I did procreate, I'd prefer not to. Besides, I can already tell an older Ino someday about how unlikely getting any prospective dating material much less someone into bed is around the two of you."

"Ha ha. Yes. Ino is never going to date." Inoichi snorted, slinging his arm around me. The whole bit of how I simply couldn't be in a real relationship without it being mostly a lie, not with my playing non shinobi, was not even brought up. "Never. I'll bribe Naruto to prank anyone who even tries, so do make sure to train him well Ibiki. I'd not even mind if he knew how to dispose of bodies.."

"Well doesn't T&I like 'volunteers' for new methods?" I chimed in, Ibiki just looked at the two of us and lifted a brow. He has this way of doing it with the right eyebrow that just screams a warning that he's about to screw with your mind, playfully of course. Work mode Ibiki gives no warnings.

"Who is saying Naruto won't decide to make his playing of words now, valid in the future? The likelihood of her teammates being another Ino-Shika-Cho is high. Naruto will be her only other close contact outside of that because of our little..family."

"What?" Inoichi went flat toned, and a mild killing intent started to leak out of him. I was pretty certain he was imagining the two blonde hellions in some drastic scene and I took the liberty of elbowing him in the side.

"Both of you are jerks."

"Thank you."

We resumed watching Naruto and Ino play, they were taking a break to let Ino's mind adjust in between sessions. Ibiki had been drilling Naruto on his light fingered techniques. The expression on that little gaki's face when he learned just how valued stealing was to ninja who did intel work..well I think his believing our discussions of his prankster habits being a sort of prodigal sign was a lot more tolerable. The last two years had found us officially calling Naruto part of the family, not pack though. We'd only say it among the three of us, and rarely around or to Naruto. It didn't matter, he'd stop breathing for a moment each time and if there was such a thing as joyful intent to match the killing one, the ball of sunshine radiated it.

Ino and Naruto had a play date at least twice a week, oftentimes at my home as Inoichi had been working extra hours and this way Ino was learning some of the tricks from the flower shop as they applied to a more wild garden setting. Naruto was slowly starting to grow some of the basic plants and herbs in a tiny plot in my yard to make the concoctions Ibiki was teaching him. The two would often work on their calligraphy together. Ino did not go to the civilian school like Naruto did, but she enjoyed reading his lesson books as they often had short stories in them. It was a much less dry way to learn then the ninja classes.

Sarutobi Hiruzen, our Hokage, had been very pleased with the ongoing status of my mission. It had gone into a monthly visit that I started to look forward to halfway through the first year. I'd been willing to give the demon container a fair shot, and instead fallen into adoration of the little brat. The first time I had admitted I was fond of Naruto, for being himself, I saw our powerful third Hokage blinking back tears with relief in every part of his posture. I kept him updated on Naruto's skills, his foibles, his silly habits and behaviors. Hiruzen's favorites were the personal little things that one only learned from living around someone, or doing the creepy stalker Anbu thing but..whatever.

Naruto had developed a habit to scratch the back of his head or rub his neck when embarrassed or nervous as I'd pinch him in his shoulder or neck much like a dog nipping at a puppy. He had a love of those silly aloe pulp drinks as it was the first thing he bonded with Ibiki and Inoichi over, the infamous numbing prank that started it all. He still loved Orange but had decided a dark brown like Ibiki's coat was his second favorite. Ibiki had carried him to the hospital once when Naruto had a bad fever, from the orphanage, wrapping him up in his coat to help keep him warm from the elements. You didn't want to flicker with children if you could help it and especially not sick ones. Ever since if Ibiki had left the coat off to relax, Naruto would find some way to wear it for a little while.

Naruto had dyed his hair tips orange the first time he got good enough grades that the barber in civilian territory kept his promise. The next color was silver like Ibiki's once was, then a paler blonde like Inoichi's. The final time that year he got it in a gray blue color that was clearly meant to reflect my own brindle pattern. I may have pulled him in for a hug and nuzzled him. No one can prove anything though, Inoichi'd forgotten his camera. Naruto had meant to go back and have it fully colored but then Ino had met him and made the idle comment one visit that 'we blondes look pretty together. You can stand next to me, we're the best looking pair here! With daddy we could almost look like family!" And Naruto had spent the entire night after she left staring into the mirror as he fingered his blonde hair. He'd still get the tips colored, but he kept the blonde.

"I think they're almost done." Ibiki murmered and I sighed, nodding. "...I'd like to borrow him for a week or so if it's okay. There's some theoretical work it's best to be supervising for.." Ibiki trailed off and I looked at him sharply. He just patted my shoulder, slipping a scroll into my pocket at the same time. Every so often he'd borrow Naruto and teach him the ins and outs of a new concoction. What Naruto had no idea of is that at this point he was being distracted. Only when Ibiki and Naruto were 'busy' working on something that couldn't have time spared from would Naruto stay with him instead of at the orphanage. He'd often get his assignments from both schools in advance so he could work on them from home. Ibiki would not let him out until Naruto could identify, explain, create, counter, and replicate on demand as well as gather all the materials himself, whatever the new item was. This was the time I'd be sent out. Ghost was high in demand. Technically we were at peace, which is precisely why my skills, subtle and non detectable, were so needed.

I worked with Crane a good deal of the time. We could get in and out of places, he was so different from Gai that no one would put the two together. I still hadn't run into Gai in such a way we could visit or catch up, I'd like to start a friendship openly with the Green Beast but it just wasn't plausible. Instead we did all our socializing when he was Crane and I was Yuurei. Ghost. The Hokage had finally given me my own mask as I was being utilized more often, not that I was Anbu but I could blend and being partnered with Crane who specialized in Taijutsu my chunin level chakra abilities seemed to be glossed over if there were any other Anbu about as they just assumed we were skilled in physical and let us be. My mask was white with red sweeping forms by the eyes and one stripe down the forehead, like three petals. It was simple and not meant to look like an animal at all, though Hiruzen had tongue in cheek said he got the idea from a painting of a wolf. Crane and I had been on a number of missions since the first. Ibiki was content to let him take things over and the few times we'd had others with us I had not removed my mask. Crane had waited until I needed to do the work and we'd simply divided up from our group, they had no idea what I did after; in Anbu you did not ask.

I struggled to keep up with them for which Crane worked with me when we could, mostly though I was unable to improve by much as I simply could not practice most the time. When it was just the two of us he'd let me run when I needed but otherwise would carry me on his back. I could phase out of the way anytime he'd had to engage in combat and having enemy nin trying to figure out where the second person went had given us a good advantage before.

There was also the simple fact that I was working _more._ My skills were being used more often since I'd taken on the little gaki in orange and I suppose it was because now there was a greater bit of trust. There was also a surety to Hiruzen that I wouldn't betray Konoha beyond the fact that my two best friends were here. It wasn't like we could explain _pack_ to him. The Inuzuka would get it, despite being insect connected so too would the Aburame.

We were a breed apart, really.

"What sort of bird was that I saw in my garden anyways? Any idea Inoichi?"

"A crane. Seriously, can you be more observant for once?"

Ah. Thank the heavens for that. I could _trust_ Crane. "Just one?"

"...We need to work on your eyesight..yes just the one. I'm glad you didn't run out to see it though, they're serene. Take their time doing everything." Inoichi chuckled, as usual fully in the know of what was on my scroll. Hurray for painfully obvious shinobi code. Ours was even more so, if you knew the topic. Again, the amount of ninja that would be searching for far deeper meaning was pretty hilarious. You could set an obvious trip wire out and the shinobi would be so busy looking for the pressure plate and testing for genjutsu they'd never see the glue on the floor. It was a tested fact on several Jounin. Because, once you said something like that to Ibiki and Naruto they had to _try_ it.

Shinobi and shinobi wannabes. We have serious issues.

"What do you want to have Naruto working on?" I looked up at Ibiki curious, Naruto had several powders now besides the numbing one. There was two varieties of itching powder, one that caused sneezing, a few sorts of contact dye, and the last one had been a mild muscle relaxant. All had been utilized in pranks and test kits.

"I think I'll get him started on exceptionally simple hallucinogens. After stressing to the point of making him wet his pants that he is to never try them on himself or anyone who is not an enemy of Konoha. He'll need to spend a few days just observing how I use them in interrogations..mild ones, don't glare at me Anrui. It's standard special jounin protocol to be taught to not slip up and give information, not torture. He needs to be at least a few years beyond graduation before I'll teach that."

I sighed but nodded, Ibiki was grooming Naruto to be his successor after all. Though if he did it right, Naruto wouldn't realize it until he'd already made chunin.

"Relax Ibiki. She's just fond of the menace." Inoichi paused. "Well and Naruto too."

"Boys." I waited for their attention and smirked. "Said mini menace is currently being hit by Ino."

Naruto had messed up delivery on a compliment it seemed because he was being hit, and rather hard, by the smaller girl.

"Ow! Inoooo-chaaaaan"

"Say it!"

"No!"

"Say it!"

I looked back at Ibiki with a chuckle and shook my head. "As much as I love when they do this...I better stop them so I can say good bye for a bit to Naruto."

"Go pack and let us enjoy watching it." Inoichi waved me off, grinning. "They're both still smiling so no one needs to interfere."

Ah yes, ninja parenting meets pack mentality. If someone isn't bleeding fatally or insulting honor in a way that will cause an incident, slug it out or be underhanded. I just nodded and stepped away to go home. I stopped at a few places along the way to pick up real food to travel with rather than ration bars. Ghosting took a lot out of me and Gai's metabolism was insane. Packing was easy, so much simpler with my possessing my own mask which was already waiting on me. I got ready in the darkness of my room, window shades closed and swiftly fastening the modified armor and combing the quick acting chakra dye into my hair. I would have black hair this time around. Chakra dye was amazing stuff. It would adhere to the natural small bits of chakra you emitted and until you used the counter dye agent, was near permanent. Ibiki and I had learned that when we gave Inoichi blue hair to match mine one year before he'd met his now wife. We hadn't known about the neutralizing agent so it had been highly entertaining to see him going around constantly screeching "Kai!" as frustrated as he could get. It was a specific form of chakra dye and it would snap to the chakra I put out right now. Even dispelling arts wouldn't toss it out later. Of course it did work on things other than hair until you set it with a chakra burst which was what had started Ibiki on trying to learn how to make it himself.

We had been 'caught blue handed' after pranking Inoichi. I knew to use gloves, Ibiki hadn't. Whoops.

Throwing my hair in a loose bun with the top half and the bottom left to swing about, I fixed the mask to my face and then ghosted away. One of the huge advantages for my sneaking, I could be invisible and step out until I was in an area that wouldn't be odd to see one of the masked elite (or pretending to be in my case) bounding around. Over the years I'd needed to be non visible more often then not. It also let me tail Naruto and ensure he was all right at first in the civilian territories. An ability that just two years ago I had struggled with was now becoming much more strong for me. It helped that usually I just needed to be invisible, more like a camouflage jutsu, but nothing else changed. Using my Ikiryo abilities was always highly uncomfortable though. For one, cold. The more powerful the clan technique the colder it was. I'd been having to slowly work on my tolerance over my career as a shinobi.

Downside was I really hated being cold.

I had opened my scroll before fixing my mask on to see I was to begin outside the village several kilometers to the east. It was my meeting place with Crane. Keeping the scroll on me meant I could go bounding over the wall and the barrier wouldn't 'ping' an alert. Taking another deep breath I slipped into the thought process of 'Yuurei'. Inoichi had walked me through creating an alternate persona so I could compartmentalize easier when on missions. They did it for all the Anbu, I was just fortunate enough my packmate could do it without the training they had gone through.

Yuurei was quiet, almost silent. She was a bit aggressive and unfriendly to most. She growled and barked more, which most passed off as Inuzuka. Yuurei obeyed Crane without second thought, times when they would be waiting on other teams to trade off information or items Crane worked with Yuurei so they'd match their fighting better. No movement of hers was wasted, nor a drop of chakra. Where Crane could expend vast amounts of energy being too swift to catch or chakra enhancing his muscles to the point he could punch through stone easily, he was the hurricane. Yuurei was the eye of the storm. In Taijutsu they're styles meshed well, and Crane had reserved specific Anbu training sites without witnesses -by Hokage's orders no less- once a month on average just to keep that level of fluidity up. I slipped into being Yuurei comfortably now. My body language would change as would my posture. Anrui was proud and a bit quiet on average but certainly brash you may pass your eyes over her unless she felt like being trouble and had an opinion. Yuurei was silent and lethal. Anrui didn't have much fighting practice outside her family styles that she still worked on more out of enjoyment and to spar with her relatives and only a few rather awful academy level jutsu's. Yuurei had a number of strange unique killing and incapacitating jutsu's and a deflection specialized taijutsu. Hers was to wound, deflect, and pass them in an off balance or disabled state to her partner. Yuurei was a support fighter, but if she got a hit, her sudden death jutsu's were always fatal. As it always occurred, Anbu did talk among each other. The first time Crane told me about well..me..it managed to cement the dichotomy of my two persona's for me.

It didn't mean that when I was one, I didn't think of the other as someone else though. Yet, it wasn't a mental disorder or break down, more it felt like 'I need to be serious and focus on this' rather then playing. Certain thoughts and things just faded in importance, it allowed me to be Anrui without being paranoid, it allowed me to be Yuurei without my morals overriding shinobi necessity. That was precisely how Inoichi had helped me develop it.

Hearing that you were known as ruthlessly efficient, by Anbu, was...something else.

Ibiki had been insanely proud of me. Of course. Sadist.

I felt the ground give under my feet as I took to the trees, chakra keeping me in place between leaps. This chakra, my non Ikiryo jutsu related use of it, felt warm and slightly tingled. Like my limbs had fallen asleep or I drank something with bubbles in it. I scented Crane before anything else, the rich loam and earth scent was nearly invisible amongst the forest. Nearly, but not quite. He caught up to and then passed me easily, scooping me up into his arms playfully. This wasn't a rushed mission, it would take a week at least at his speed to get to the meeting point. After that, it was a simple exchange and theft. Sometimes I think we are assigned to these sorts of missions so that Hiruzen can send his better agents off on the more dangerous sort. Again, any time there's a civilian town nearby it's best to send me. After two years of missions more often then not together, Crane was able to follow my lead as well as I followed his in battle. I simply looped an arm around Crane's shoulder and neck, one hand free in case I needed to draw a weapon which was why he only held me in one arm.

"Hello there, birdy."

"Greetings, ghost."

Both of our faces were hidden by masks but we could feel the other chuckling, our chakra smoothing out together as it was used to working in dangerous situations now. The benefit of fighting alongside friends long enough.

"I thought you'd let us play tag, or chase.." I brought up, curious as to why he was carrying me at the outset.

"Dog, rabbit, and their teams are working."

Ah. People who knew him, and in his own way he was protecting his team mate by ensuring we were far enough away no one would pick up on my strangely slow for Anbu movements. No one really gave Crane, or Gai, enough credit for how considerate he was. We stayed silent the rest of the day, and half into the night. The man's stamina was utterly insane, especially when he felt he had something to prove or important to do. He'd bought us half a day's travel and despite being slightly tired, then worked with me as we set up camp. We'd spar and twist and turn, slamming limbs into each other though we didn't draw weapons. We held back, no chakra enhancement. This was pure taijutsu in it's rawest and simplest forms. Clumsy compared to chakra work, priceless when it came to ensuring you knew all the movements. We'd stop before we were too tired, taking turns being on watch. We slept in the trees, for Konoha ninja were at ease in our namesake territory. Moon set to moon rise we traveled. We arrived three days early.

The mission was boring, an exercise in adrenaline that never was needed. We followed orders anyway.

()()()()

Back in Konoha Ibiki chuckled as Naruto stared at the book with a serious expression. He rather looked like he was going to pop from focusing so hard. Naruto's face was scrunched up, rather unattractively. He resembled more someone who was stuck in the bathroom at that moment. The farewell to Anrui for the time being had gone simply. A quick hug, a promise that she'd return, and Naruto was willing to let go. It was better than if he had gone the insane clingy route. No, at this point, Naruto was aware that he had people who cared. He no longer clung to them like a limpet. He knew they called him family and that it was no small thing to the packmates. He was as loved as Ino, and Ino had swatted him a few times when he stammered it was different because Inoichi was her father. With a heavy sigh, and a far too sharp mind thanks to her being a Yamanaka, Ino had simply stated that is not how pack worked. Because it was Ino, Naruto believed her.

Ibiki didn't spend as much time with Ino, though he'd listen to her prattle on or correct her on her stances if Inoichi was busy. That was purely Naruto who got to see the mentor and prankster side of the famous head of T&I. If Naruto couldn't counter the bullying about how he was an unloved orphan at the shinobi academy, at least he knew privately how wrong they were. He had _influenced_ three homes. There was something of his at all three residences of the packmates which let him feel the permance of it all.

And Ino's mother happened to enjoy how willing Naruto was to help out around the house. That she heaped praise on how 'strong and helpful' he was, was just a little manipulation that made Naruto smile. Turned out he was rather good at working in gardens and cleaning floors at this point and she was happy to pay him for the help in praise and treats.

Ibiki resumed reading his own book, knowing Naruto would wait to ask questions until the end in case the material provided answers. Not that it had been easy getting that across to him.

If there was a silly frog drawing in orange on his fridge next to Ino's flower picture it wasn't as if anyone would know either.


	8. Colorful

AN: Another year...smart prankster Naruto is fun to write. Some feels ahead. No control over characters I swear...

()()()()()

Naruto was eight. Eight years old and Naruto was doing very well in the civilian school. He still struggled with numbers and things, but his skill with History and poetry was going well. It should have been literature in general but he just really liked poetry. Especially the epic ballads about hero's that had overcome great trials. He was doing amazingly well in his private studies with Ibiki too and had sat in on a number of Anbu interrogation training sessions. He had to wear a genjutsu for it but he didn't mind. It was fascinating to watch his Uncle Ibiki work.

Ino had practiced her mind body jutsu several times on Naruto, and each time he'd ended up fighting her off because she tried to do something _girly_ like paint his nails. It had been a great lesson for Ino on not doing anything to shocking when her control was new. On her prompting he'd been growing his hair out though, it did look really cool longer with the colored tips. He did keep it a bit shorter underneath though so it didn't spike quite so badly. He was torn between keeping it short like his Uncle Ibiki, or growing it long enough for a high ponytail like Uncle Inoichi and Ino, since she kept saying if he did they could pass as related. Even his Big Sister Anrui had long hair, though hers was usually escaping from a braid or just loose and messy. He'd finally gotten her to cave to being called his older sister instead of crazy cousin. It made more sense since Ibiki and Inoichi were her 'brothers' and he'd ranted for a long time before she'd just smiled and said "eh. Okay." And that had been it. Seriously the pack loved to test him.

Probably why they kept reminding him that shinobi were crazy.

He'd tried taking his exam early just for more evidence in Ibiki's files and failed so miserably that it was clear he couldn't try again for a few years and saw that he really did need a lot of work. It had been to gather a base point though, and they had that now. He had actually skipped a grade in History among the civilian classes, and was starting to take accounting which was offered to any student who wanted it. Ibiki had been very pleased and even started to pay Naruto a pittance for his work if it exceeded standards. Inoichi still let his wife bribe Naruto with treats for his help, and Anrui wasn't the sort Naruto would ever ask for anything. Not since the one time he'd caught her mending a tear in her favorite shirt and asked if she could fix his jumpsuit.

He'd ended up thrown over her shoulder **again!** And taken to a civilian shop where he'd been panicking, fully expecting the nightmare that was shopping from Inoichi and Ibiki's stories..and the _one_ time he'd let Ino force him to go. Instead she'd set him down, asked what colors besides orange he liked and told him to try on a few things. They were all the same in shirts and pants so she could judge size. From there she said until they started to fit poorly he didn't need to go back and then they'd just get the next size up, showing him he could literally walk in and place an order from a catalog and have it delivered to her home to be kept in his room there. That was it.

A few days later his new dark blue pants, black turtleneck tank top and one orange and one brown with black jacket had shown up. He also had the same shirt in a few other colors, and a few pairs of black pants. All identical besides color. Anrui had said being able to dress so you blended in with civilians was as important as dressing like a ninja so he also had a few pairs of comfortable boots that were like hers, and one pair for harsh terrain or work so he didn't get mud on his feet. The store also had a single kimono sent for festivals and formal occasions for him in black with a frog down at the corner to his delight. He was a kid after all.

He still wore his jumpsuit -with the patch as needed- to the academy which was as awful as ever. He struggled to learn anything there and was frequently catching himself in genjutsu's. It seemed he had zero ability to sense when he was in them most the time but he could put it together when he'd have sworn no time had passed and yet the bell would suddenly ring. It was frustrating. It was also hard not going up to Ino on days he really could use her company, those were the days she'd belittle him or Sakura just to make a point. Of course, her fawning over Sasuke was seriously confusing. Why on earth did she like the brooding monster? Because of the massacre? That'd happened. It had sent the entire village into a crazy mode and the civilian's were a thousand times less happy. After all, the Uchiha had been 'their' police. It had been the Uchiha who would step in if there was an issue between a civilian and a ninja and most the time sided with the non ninja's.

Naruto had felt awkward looking back on it, because he had been where Sasuke was. He'd been where there was no family and no one to turn to, old man Hokage didn't really count because in Naruto's mind he was part of _his_ pack now but hadn't seen it then. The dynamics were making more sense and sometimes he got to hang out with Kiba as they'd play with the nin-dogs. Anrui was teaching him what growls and noises meant, and he knew she was still working on getting Naruto in with the littler kids (embarrassing idea) just so he could learn fully what they all meant. Kiba though, was teaching him to say stuff that was really _not okay_ and they had fun with that. Tsume chasing them around with a flyswatter to tan their backsides sort of fun but still...

Anrui had just asked where he learned it, told him he growled too long at the end when it should be more of a yip and asked him to make more tea.

Best family ever.

"Naruto? You still up?" Anrui walked into the kitchen then and smiled, ruffling his hair in a way that always made him turn his head to prolong the contact. Anrui wasn't super touchy feely, but when she was in a mood for contact he never turned it down.

"Couldn't sleep.." He sighed then and smiled at his big sister figure as she pulled out a slice of cake and two forks, sitting beside him and handing one over.

"Oh?" It was soft, but the word would allow him to shrug it off or unload. Anrui never pressured, never forced anything out of him.

"Yeah, nothing really just..can't sleep." Naruto shrugged, if he was with Ibiki he'd be trying to memorize components until he was blue in the face or passed out. Inoichi's house when he stayed over he was always out like a light, there was some sort of bedtime jutsu they used. It prevented Ino from painting his nails or doing his hair in his sleep so it was all good. Anrui though just hummed, shared the treat, and then made tea.

"Do you want company?"

"From you nee-san? Always." It was the truth. While he loved his uncle's fiercely, it was Anrui who he had first been drawn to. It was the strange golden eyed and blue haired woman, he'd run into her and then just been so startled when she commented their appearance combined..he had stalked her after that. He'd wanted to know who she was, what was she. He'd been startled and yet near to tears when she actually asked who he was in turn. Then he'd been fed, had things explained to him slowly, simply. Over the years he'd come to realize how unusual the whole thing had been. He'd brought it up once, frustrated, and she'd admitted that someone had asked her to make certain he was okay but that it was Naruto's own big blue eyes and fascinating company that had turned it into more then just a visual check in.

He believed her. Anrui didn't lie, just stretched the truth and when she did lie he had been taught all her tells. He struggled still with anyone outside his family, but within it? There was nothing getting by Naruto. If it was a stretching of the truth that she'd been asked to look after him, he could brush it off. There were plenty of things she couldn't share but she never hid anything she felt he needed to know. He looked up, meeting her tired eyes..but she'd just gotten back from her trip and he wanted time with her, he was feeling vulnerable and something about his grumpy rather out there _alpha_ set him at ease.

"Where'd you go?"

()()()()

I smiled, Naruto had gotten comfortable in our relationship a while back and it was rather nice to have a little brother for once. "An outpost village, halfway between here and Suna. Nothing special, very small town." I sipped my tea, leaving the majority of the too sweet treat to Naruto. He ate it slowly, savoring the sweetness of the frosting before he blinked at me.

"anything I can know?"

"Ah..it was an information exchange. As usual. Just trying to keep the shinobi from blowing their cover." I closed my eyes for a moment, bone tired. Crane had been with me as usual but there was talk of his getting a genin team in the next few years so our missions would start being swapped to another 'handler'. I wasn't happy about that at all. I knew my brothers were scouring the Anbu and special jounin ranks for someone else I could tolerate, but I was a possessive wolf. I liked Crane, we worked fantastic together and I trusted him.

Still, the Hokage's word was a command I could not disobey and so I peeked one eye open at the adorable concerned face of my little rascal of a brother. After a little more than three years I could admit to seeing him as such.

"It will be fine, Naruto.." I chuckled then at his heavy sigh, guessing he just was unable to pinpoint what it was that was bothering him. Instead I slid his teacup over, smiling. He really was adorable. "So, what does Ibiki have you working on now?"

"Wires. I'm learning to set traps and hide the wires so they're actually effective..but it's hard because they're shiny.." Naruto yawned once and then shuffled, cuddling into my side. He somehow had picked up on exactly when I was willing to allow such contact and my fingers worked back through his hair. "Thanks. You know, Anrui, I wish I could stay here all the time..and not the orphanage.."

I sighed softly, it just wasn't safe. It wasn't reliable either and I just knew the Hokage wouldn't sign off on it. Instead I hummed faintly, nails gently scraping at his scalp. "I'm not qualified as a guardian, kiddo...but when you graduate the academy you're considered an adult with all the rights and privileges. If you want you can live here all the time then. Though, usually they have genin housing for the orphans that's cheap. You may want your own space.."

"I think I'd rather know I had people around that cared. Besides, you never have someone over and once I ran into women's clothes at Ibiki's and.." Naruto just shuddered and I chuckled, Ibiki did have some _kinks_ but I knew he'd have hidden them from Naruto. He didn't need to know the woman probably lost her clothing because she'd been tied up most likely.

"Well.." I paused and hummed then, answering his silent interrogation with that last line. "I'm more Ikiryo. We wolves value our mates..and I can't do casual. It took years to call you family after all and you were all that time..it's just not my way. I've nothing against it, or I wouldn't make certain Ibiki and Inoichi knew when a lady was interested in them but.." I shrugged. It was the simple truth.

"I kinda always thought you n Uncle Ibiki..."

"Not at all. We're close, the three of us but it often feels more like we're so close we _can't_ see each other that way." We never could, not really but I didn't need to get into why and how. "Besides knowing your Uncles, can you imagine them letting anyone near me?..you'll have enough trouble keeping boys from Ino too you know?"

"No one is getting to date Ino-chan!" Naruto huffed, crossing his arms with an adorable angry look. "She's too good for anyone, especially that stupid Uchiha she's always mooning over. They'll have to be really super strong and smart to be worth her. Ino's precious." And I felt my lips curve into a smile, he was so adoring of Ino, she of the hugs of doom who had accepted Naruto as part of the family without much pause. Indeed, I pitied anyone who set their sights on Ino one day because Naruto would not be swayed easily. Ino may very end up in the same situation I was in. Chuckling softly I enjoyed watching as Naruto's fierce expression morphed into a shy honest one.

"That's good, to protect those dear to you." I smiled and nodded. "I have the family..as do you. Good instincts, gaki."

Naruto turned and tucked his face, thankfully having wiped it free of cake first, into my shoulder. His eyes closed as I felt him sniffing at me slightly. I'd been working slowly with his sense of smell much as I had been trained as a kid, and relying on that was becoming second nature for him. I just waited, curious if he'd say anything.

"Since when do you use berry body wash?"

I laughed and grinned down at him. "Since someone left the lid open on mine when I always close it, and I didn't know what you boys did to my unscented one.."

Naruto just pulled out a foxy grin up at me. "Color."

"Hmmm..just mine?"

"Naw. I got Ibiki good. Then he rubbed it all over Inoichi but they got it off a few days ago."

"And what color would I be now?"

"Orange."

"Huh." I paused then, not at all perturbed and lifted a brow, smirking at him. "You should put it in the soap dispensers at school."

"OoooH!"

()()()()()

It turned out Naruto did manage to get the entire academy turned bright orange. Surprisingly, since he didn't get caught, but gave it away laughing at how some people clearly had gotten it on their faces or clothing by being sloppy; he got in trouble. Naruto was currently sulking at my table while he munched on the 'weird ramen thingy' I had made. You could turn vegetables into noodle like shapes and he didn't seem to mind them that way so much. I believe it is more because of a texture then a taste thing..or it could just be since I went through the effort of making him food he saw it as the affectionate gesture it was.

"It isn't fair! The damned Uchiha sneaks out from a lesson and he's praised in how sneaky he is. Kiba ditches and avoids being found and he's told he has good skills. One of the civilian kid's went and did my eraser on the door trick and he got praised for his ideas!" Naruto trembled slightly, his voice shaking even as he slurped down more not-ramen. I'd learned to make a pot of the stuff just for him. The fact that I had bits of chicken floating around in it seemed to make the vegetables easier for him to handle.

"I just.. Anrui-nee it.." He slumped then, setting the empty bowl and chopsticks aside to clutch at his head, elbows on the table as he breathed hard. I just washed the dishes slowly, making a soft low whine to encourage him. I also knew what he was doing though. In- one, two, three, four..Hold- five, six..Out- seven, eight, nine, ten. Inoichi had taught him the breathing mantra to help get his emotions under control. I set down the dishcloth and went to stand beside him, waiting. Soon enough big blue eyes were looking up at me, vulnerable and full of tears.

I pulled Naruto into my grasp and sat us on the floor, no one would look in the windows at that angle and I helped tuck him under my chin, my arms tight around his slim and still so small form. "You have no idea, how proud of you I am every day. You are doing so much, working with Ibiki and Ino, going to two schools..Naruto it's a great deal you're setting yourself up for. It's not right, and it is not fair how everyone treats you. Even me when you first met me if you recall?.." I felt his shivering nod, before he shifted to listen to my heart beat and I sighed softly, shifting so my back was against the wall for comfort.

"I can't get into it Naruto..it's a ninja thing and I'm not a proper shinobi." Luckily it was the truth, even if stretched. Ibiki had already explained many times that Shinobi were privy to things that they were never to tell civilian's. He knew sometimes Inoichi and Ibiki filled me in, but I couldn't repeat any of it, ever.

Naruto still just thought of me as the failed shinobi civilian. He loved me anyways. It did a lot of good healing the sting at being left out save for my packmates.

"It's just.." Naruto let out a whine then and I sat up startled. It was _perfect_ and it seemed he had done it out of instinct. It was a puppy's pitiful begging, heartache and hunger and instinctive for the adults around to soothe it. "I don't want to be..I don't..it's not okay! It's not fair!" Naruto turned and buried his face into my collarbone, stifling his tears. I felt it though against me and sighed, rubbing his back with one hand, the other keeping a fierce hold on him.

"Let it out, little pup..it's not fair. And it is not okay..weekend is coming, how about we just spend it together?" He nodded, and gave a tiny hiccup so I continued, my voice softer. "I'm not good at _saying_ how I feel Naruto. You know that? Yeah..I heard you laugh there mister..but I am glad you are in my life."

"I just hate going back to the orphanage..it hurts..I hate I can't claim you or uncle Ibiki or Inoichi and..it's.." Naruto trailed off in his awkward way and I closed my eyes at his confession, leaning my head back into the wall.

 _He's only eight..why do we keep forgetting that? Just a child, a little fox kit. As out of place as I was being more wolf than dog among the Inuzuka. Few realized the depth of difference between the two, and he's separated yet again from everyone else. He's just a kid.._ He was so smart in his way, so capable and full of energy that maybe we'd been pushing too hard. Naruto had us, had a family and stability but it was now clear he felt it could vanish at any moment. I sighed heavily but tugged him a bit closer so he would realize it wasn't at him.

"It all comes back to the orphanage?"

"I really don't like it Anrui-Nee..it's..they're cold, they ignore me. I have a rickety bed that's awful and..if I don't take my stuff with me it vanishes. It's why I keep it all here. This is home..visiting either of my uncle's is great but...when I'm there I wake up scared that I just dreamed all this.."

"I can't promise anything." My voice was a bit rough there, I really hated talking emotions. Beyond saying I was proud of him, that was half analytical. Emotions were special and anything beyond the superficial was saved for those few dear to me. Naruto knew this, and knew he was included. I felt Naruto still, felt him tense and wary and that was hurtful in itself. "I'll see..if I cannot adopt you, if I can at least convince them to let you be housed here. Is that agreeable?"

"YES!" If Naruto hadn't already been held so tight against me I'm certain I would have been tackled. Instead he fell apart against me, but this time it was with tears I could scent were of hope and joy.

I really had underestimated how much he wanted to be around his family hadn't I? Well, visiting the Hokage for permission could wait. I had to let Naruto finish crying over me, and feed him the rest of the pot of not-Ramen. It would make going on missions harder really, but at least it meant Ibiki and Inoichi could have someone check up on Naruto, or an Anbu for the Hokage could. He may have to keep it secret still, gods know the civilian council would consider me a fit guardian as so many of them knew me, but the rest of the elders? They'd do their best to ensure it didn't happen.

For the sake of the little blonde, I would have to face that risk.

I owed him that at least.

()()()()()()

A few hours later I had left a surprisingly worn out blonde tucked into the couch, sprawled out on his belly clutching the pillows and blankets from the last gathering the previous week. All of our scents were on them as it was getting cold at night, Naruto had his face shoved into them as if to reassure himself even in his sleep. That had made me decide to approach the Hokage tonight rather then waiting. I didn't dress up, I had nothing to hide or try to convince Hiruzen of anyways. I was just in my comfortable pants and boots, soft soled as they were to not make noise I couldn't exactly wear shinobi sandals (unless I was being Yuurei). Black and gray were my colors, though I had a dark orange undershirt on that Naruto had picked out for me with gold leaves trailing from the left shoulder down across to the hem. It was rather pretty and suited to the colder climate. Well, cold for Konoha. My usual black jacket over that and my hair in a messy braid and I looked no different then any other time I would pay a visit to the hokage.

It was strange for it to be at such a late hour. Still, I was blessed and Hiruzen had me brought in almost immediately. We talked nonsense before he dismissed his Anbu under a ruse every visit, I expected this to be the same.

"Thank you for escorting my ninja again, Ikiryo-san. Though the reports I received was quite interesting. Why exactly did you have them buying such simple and restrictive groceries?" Hiruzen was genuinely curious and I was amused. I imagine reading that report had been entertaining since he was leading with that statement.

"We were in a farming town, Hokage-sama. It is a poorer town for all it is doing well, you had me accompany a group that was to blend in like 'common working folk'. That means a lack of funds in that area relying most often on barter, and being reluctant to spend coin they may not see replaced. I had them only buy what others would there. The foods and meats were more for tourists and heavily salted and preserved to prevent spoilage. It would have been as obvious to the group that was trailing the enemy not being simple people. They're lucky I didn't tell them to work in exchange for room and board, that's very common when people have little to nothing."

"It was not a badly affected town though.."

"It's also new and not yet prosperous. There was little currency there to spend, which is most common. " It was the simple truth. Poor new neighborhoods were built from hard work, they would have noticed someone in better clothing than what I had convinced the chunin to wear. "There was also no reason for such 'simple wanderers' to have so much to spend. It would likely have claimed them as robbers for that and there would have gone your infiltration."

"You don't think they're so observant, surely?" Hiruzen blinked as he filled and lit his pipe, I felt the urge to groan rise, but hid it. I imagine he saw the tells anyways.

"They are _civilian's_ , yes, but it is there home. They know those people, there's little else to talk about. Just because they aren't trained from an early age to notice everything doesn't mean that they wouldn't pay closer attention to the new people in the area. It's exciting and will draw more attention then usual especially because one of the chunin with me was a very exotic looking woman and didn't use chakra dye or cosmetics to hide her attractiveness as she should have." I wanted to ruffle my own hair in irritation. It never ceased to amaze me how there was such a general notion of 'oh they aren't ninja so they're just money sacks and workers to make our lives easier. The level that the ninja tended to think themselves on versus the common person rankled. They could fling fireballs and prance across rooftops, do tricks that shouldn't be possible outside of fables. Yet, ninja couldn't survive without the people they tended to belittle. It was a screwed up system, and I was caught between. It was no wonder why I had Naruto attending a regular school and Inoichi was homeschooling her some.

"Surely not notice enough to 'endanger' such a mission though.."

"Hokage-sama..you're the god of shinobi but I think I know more about how civilian's think? They'd notice. They'd talk and gossip and the shinobi you were hoping to ambush would have been tipped off because the chunin you sent me with had no basic civilian skills. They could not speak of a trade, the jargon used was unfamiliar to them. They don't know how to handle the farm tools with the ease they handle kunai and all those are tells. My advice had been for them to pretend to be a few types of injured having survived bandits or using the recent flood in the area but your chunin were convinced it couldn't be that hard. No chakra meant their muscles weren't used to it and they were _flailing_ like idiots. Just as you can tell an academy genin from a special jounin by how well they know their tools..farming families are raised to work and do things. They don't cringe and flinch at blisters because most the time they already developed callouses to those tools before they left puberty." I saw Hiruzen making a few notes but sighed inwardly. He had no idea. None of them ever did. At that point however he held up the forms, likely the official mission statement which now had notes on whatever he thought of my response and his Anbu popped over.

"Take these, be in no rush to return." Ah, there was the Anbu dismissal.

"Now, what can I do for you, Anrui-chan?" Sarutobi Hiruzen slowly drew out one of his smoke rings so it would spiral from his breath.

"Naruto hates the orphanage, I know I cannot adopt him but..could we arrange for his housing to be in my home?"

"This ..is no small thing you ask."

"He's already stalked by Anbu, he spends much of the time at my house or Ibiki's. I have no influence to the council, I'm tolerated by most shinobi but ignored. I work a few small part time jobs here and there when I need cash that are civilian only work. We could just spin it if need be that it was a way to help me pay bills, and that since clearly I'm no one important I have no idea what's wrong with him." I blurted it out in a rush, normally I'm much more controlled but this is my gaki we are talking about. I care. "I'm not saying I'll claim him as family out of doors though I'd be tempted to otherwise..but he was crying, Sarutobi-san. Crying. It broke my heart."

Hiruzen shifted, letting me know wordlessly he was uncomfortable with what he would say next; or at least wished me to think so. "I was checking in on him after I heard about the academy incident. I saw. It will mean you have to be very careful and likely will have much more negativity directed at you over time.."

"He's worth it." I didn't mean to cut off the hokage but the words flew out, they were sharp, fierce. I think I was growling. Oops.

Hiruzen gave me a dark look but then relaxed visibly and nodded. "So he is. Very well, I won't officially take him out of the orphanage's care but I'll let them know he has another residence he is authorized to be at when you are in town..so they don't remove that as an option. Just in case." In case I never returned from a mission he meant. I nodded, sensing he wasn't done. "I'll notify the hospital as well and put a note in the academy files, under a c class secret, where they aren't to bring it up..I cannot prevent it and you may have a few hostiles to cope with..so there will be Anbu about. If I call for you, extra discretion will be necessary." In other words, don't be seen or leave your Yuurei gear out where someone can see it.

I bowed my head. "Thank you.."

"I have no idea why you are thanking me, Anrui-chan. You're asking me to put you through harassment and taking on a lot of responsibility."

()()()()

I moved Naruto's stuff while he was asleep. He figured it out when he went to get a change of clothes the next morning and saw the note pinned to his door amending his dwelling to include my home. To celebrate he had trip wire all over the house with chakra dye (wouldn't stain anything non living), feathers, several traps that released confetti, and I think he actually managed to _steal_ a cake!

Needless to say we spent a very messy morning having cake and tea for breakfast and ignore the disaster that was my house and our current state of being.

If this was what I was in for, I could handle it.

That we both were laughing and smiling was after all, a wonderful sign.

Of course I may have challenged him to set the same pranks off at Inoichi and Ibiki's homes..complete with a slice of cake for each but hey, the gaki was up for it.

Ibiki did look fetching in maroon, Inoichi was a very pretty purple, and I was of course, Uzumaki orange. The brat managed to get covered in all three colors in the process and even Ino had been roped into helping at her house, and was half purple. The disaster photo of the lot of us Inoichi's dear wife took, rolling her eyes when she was done laughing. I was planning to have a print made for Naruto but a large one was going up in my living room.

No one would ever believe it had been real.


	9. Interlude and Fireworks

AN: Hope you all had a fantastic holiday if you are stateside. Nanowrimo may have ended as of midnight on 11/30 but this story is going strong. Just was delayed due to real life poking at me but I continued to scheme. I've been amused how much it really is writing itself. There is a poll for the future of this story regarding pairings for the loveable blonde up on my bio and I'm curious as to what you all would like to story ended up just weird in this chapter, I don't really like it but it's necessary to move things along later. And then I decided hey I can just keep going and add half another year, why not? Oi.

()()()()()()

Pain.

"Anrui..Nee-chan! Nee-chan!"

It was a frantic voice. One fraught with concern and tremulous. I didn't have any idea whose it would be..

the shadows returned me to nothing.

)_)_)_)_

"...went wrong. Nothing you could do.."

"You don't know that! Had I been there..I should have..One friend doesn't outweigh another.."

Did I know those men? They sounded..well one was cold. Clinical. The other was ..concerned? Guilty?

)_)_)_)_)_

Faint static when I came semi-conscious again. I was highly aware of painfully sharp scents, disinfectants. They made me want to sneeze but my body didn't have the energy.

"Ikiryo-san? Can you hear us? I feel your chakra fluctuating..."

What's chakra? Ikiryo? Wasn't my name V-

()()()()()()

"..will stabilize soon. You don't need to worry."

"She's _family_ , Iruka-sensei..it's..it's different."

"Ah, you consider her family, Naruto-san?"

Naruto? Why did that name make my chest feel sharp? My eyes stung..I couldn't move.

"..for..four..five? Years now. I live with her yanno? Anrui-san..she..when no one else cared..she gave me a chance. Told me to think like a ninja and act like one..why would they..why would anyone..she's no shinobi! She's not Iruka-sensei! Why did she.."

Was he crying?

I wanted to croak out something, but just trying to move my fingers sent me unconscious again.

()()()()()

"Hasn't left your side much.." I faded into awareness mid conversation again. I did that a lot. "Inoichi and I bring his work for him from both schools. It's rather shocking though, we have to go in henge to pick up his work from the civilian's. They're worried too..I had no idea..and me running T&I! That you had so many civilian's as connections..I hope.." There was a pause to the deep voice, raspy as though he'd been talking for a long time.

"I guess I always hoped you'd stay to _our_ circles. Come to think of it, I don't know why I did. You..no one knows. No one sees you for what you are..we'll need to have a strong discussion I think. The ..well..not just the pack..not this time. Ino and Naruto are so worried as well, and even Inoichi's little prim and proper wife. You know..I just realized we don't know her real name? We always called her Koi..because she's like those pretty fish that Inoichi was so infatuated with for a while, and Inoichi calls her that as an endearment. I feel like maybe I let a lot more slip away then I should have. You'd give me a look right now. You know? You would. You'd just give me an even look, maybe lift a brow ..and I'd be stuck trying to think what I was missing. With my human mind because I didn't trust my instincts enough. Ever since...ever since _then_ you've always been on my case about my instincts. I get it, you know I do."

A heavy sigh. The sound made me want to whine. That voice, that rich tone that I felt in my bones was so much a part of me that names meant _nothing_ should never sound so..tired. So defeated. So hurt. It wasn't right.

"Ever since then. But I didn't start out with the instincts so I fight them. My mind refuses to accept that I could work off just a gut feeling because there's no logic to it. There's no rational basis and I don't have the senses that you do, hell even the gaki has them, though that is self explanatory.."

A long pause. I heard something beeping slowly, but little else. Whomever was speaking did so while holding utterly still for great stretches of time. There was a faint sound, a pressure to my fingers as they were enfolded in another set, that clutched at me like a lifeline.

"We almost..if.." Another long pause, there was a choking sound, faint as it was. "You know I don't even know what the official story is...I'm slacking off. Because the sight of you here, so still..you aren't still. Not you, Anrui-chan. Not you. Never. Your stillness was that of a watchful indulgent predator from the start. It's part of what Inoichi and I adored about you, why we saw promise when you couldn't manage like everyone else. You'd hit me now if you were awake..but I set privacy wards. I'm not foolish. We, well you saw. Back _then_ but we never said it. You were just so still and quiet and anyone else may have seen it as sulking or disappointed. It was a watchful quiet. A predator's stillness. It was..before. Before the menace came. I remember talking to my mentor about you and he said if I saw something no one else did, to approach you. I miss him, he died with so many when the Kyuubi attacked.."

Another sigh that tore at my heart. A long stretch of silence.

"I know Inoichi told me he wasn't sure what it was about you. We just knew you were different. We took you under our wing, we stayed by you..it was still shocking when you shared..the change. Why you would always be 'civilian'. You know, knew..I hope you picked up on how when we found out, figured out the pieces to the puzzle that it was half of why we focused on advancing so fast. We needed to be the ones there for you. We needed to make certain you had those you could trust." There was a dull thud, like something slammed into another solid object.

"...This...THIS Anrui..is why.."

()()()()()()

There was that annoying beeping again. A warmth pooled and flowed over my limbs as my thoughts finally steadied.

I once was Victory. I hated my name, I had a good life though many would say I'd accomplished little. I explored. I created, I lived rather then just existed. I never truly fell in love, I never had a family outside those I was born related to. I was okay with that.

I died young.

I was now Anrui. I had a family that had died out, an extended clan I loved and though we didn't always understand each other they were dear to me. I had found my soulmates in my brothers, my pack, Inoichi and Ibiki. I had extended family through Inoichi's wife Rei (hah I did know her name!), their daughter Ino..

And my own adopted baby brother Naruto.

Naruto who held within him the nine tailed fox. Whose birthday was on the tenth of October, a day I'd been forced to be outside of Konoha on a mission with someone I had never worked with before. Someone who abandoned me to save his skin.

It rankled. I had been the entire goal of his mission, I had been playing helpless civilian with the idea that he would potentially be okay to work with besides Crane. It was an escort mission to Kumo and back to visit some friends I had there. Very distant family, not ones who even knew of the bloodline trait I held, much less possess the ability for it. Sadly.

He was dead.

I'd seen him cut in half. Served the traitor right.

The shinobi had been from some place with a music note on the headband.

I remembered five of them, that I couldn't risk going 'Ghost' because there was more then I could take on alone.

What happened after?

There was a block. I had the feeling from V that it was necessary. Whatever instinct from my once self that alerted me to information she somehow knew impacted me, was also telling me I didn't want to know.

Huh.

I was tired.

()()()()()

Crane visited. Secretly, at night, befitting ANBU. I felt his grip on my hands and tears along my arm. He was clutching my hand in his and crying softly, silently. Crane always did take things so personally. He hadn't been with...oh.

Males. So silly.

".I Came before, one..another Anbu was with me. Thought it was because usually I escorted the 'civilian' and I hadn't taken the job that I felt guilty..not knowing we were trying to see if anyone else would be fine to work with you but I didn't need to stay..if I hadn't..but I was so concerned with Kakashi, he was having a bad episode because it was that anniversary coming up. He never got over loosing them you know? His sensei, his sensei's wife..his teammates and father..so I was trying to make certain he would be out of his shell. I'm so sorry though. I don't know how to express that. Not truly. I would promise you something outlandish to startle a laugh out of you but..we've never met without our 'masked' personas. I am so used to seeing you flinging or directing an opponent towards my vengeance it never occurred to me to mention you used to be so hard to work with. You weren't, you know? Your brothers tried to convince me but from the start even if it wasn't fluid as it became later, you were easy. I suppose we just work well together..you're the support. Something I always was lacking. I think.."

Men and their dramatic pauses while I'm unable to respond. Truly. Konoha is full of drama queens. I swear if Crane can't help himself and has some sort of rose or sparkling background jutsu going on while I'm stuck here I'll hit him later.

"..It's a rare and precious thing. Inspiring others just through your own actions. I would like to do that, my darling friend. For others. Some day as you know I am to play jounin instructor and take on students..I hope to use your example, of being there only when needed but allowing someone else to shine, to take the credit and the glory..you always do. You disable and disorient the opponents but you let me finish them off, trusting me to do so. I know your brothers are vicious and unhappy that it was not they who selected your last...I refuse to call him teammate. Warm body keeping you company on a mission perhaps? Though I know you did nothing dishonorable.."

Ah Crane, your Gai is showing.

"It's not your way. Even if you do jest and make commentary that can make anyone blush sometimes. I did not realize you were so close to the..to Uzumaki. I would have never guessed except he's been hovering, so frantic and eager. He's insisted on washing and brushing your hair..the washing only every three days. Something about your command of how otherwise it wasn't good for your hair, I confess I don't understand that. The rest of the time, at least once a day though, he brushes and braids your hair. The only others he lets do it are your two 'brothers'. He said it's..important. It's a pack thing. I know a few Inuzuka and I asked them about it. You know, I had no idea you were only half Inuzuka? That despite that they consider you fully a cousin branch. Apparently the only thing you gained from your mother is your sense of humor. I regret I never asked more about you personally, my dear friend. We've shed blood together, we've shared the same meal and bed roll when shivering. We've bandaged each other and there was the time we nearly didn't make it because you learned you could take someone 'ghosting' with you but that it did horrible things to Chakra for the person you took along..but I had no idea your bloodline was ..so different. It explains much."

Why Gai, who knew you could be so poetic? I wanted to smile, I want my lips to curve, to feel my chest cavity thrum with laughter. I was unable to do either.

"You're wild, you know that? ..." A long silent pause, so long I almost slipped back into sleep before he spoke again, so softly I think without my enhanced hearing I would miss it. "Konoha tried to tame you..your brothers, and I like to think myself, would rather see you wild..but Uzumaki..Naruto..I want you to embrace that relationship fully. He's your little brother. I see it in how he cares for you, Anrui-chan. He loves you, not having you hear has made him sharp and snarling. It's as if as much as I see him obeying Ibiki, and listen to Inoichi..they may be _your_ pack...but you are all of Naruto's. If you can hear me, let me set you at ease."

So perceptive Gai. How is it everyone just considers my best work partner an idiot? Ah, right. Misdirection...

"In light of your...injuries...Naruto has been staying with Ibiki or Inoichi most nights. He insists on being at your home though. When he isn't here. How did that happen? Your interaction with the boy? I probably can't if you ever need to vent, no matter how much information is left out..or anything else...I hope you understand this, Anrui-chan. You're a dear friend. Your worth is so much more than Konoha allows you to show..I am _proud_ to say I've been your partner. If the Hokage himself hadn't asked me to take the mandatory genin team..whether or not they pass..I'd never think of splitting us up. Please wake soon.."

()()()()()

The being aware but unable to move was getting old.

And the pain. When I wasn't seriously loopy from whatever they were giving me.

I had no idea how long it had been either.

What I was aware of was more of what 'V' had once known. The concept of potentially other worlds, in which the one I lived and breathed was just a story was a particularly far out concept. I was sorely tempted to blame whatever concoction the hospital (for surely that is where I was) staff had me on. There was something to my instincts that suggested otherwise though, and I was willing to go and just admit it was equally probable. How many perhaps had made the reverse journey and thus told the story they know? How many had crossed from one realm to the next, which opened up and entirely different concept regarding far out myths and fables that took place in other realms and lands in both lifetimes. What was the likelihood that it all depended on _where and when_ not just the main setting? After all if you came ten years prior the story that you would have taken away on the year before the Kyuubi rampage was a drastically different one.

Even now, so far post nine tails there was a story which would feature supposed people of import that everyone knew, the Hokage, the most well known and peculiar of the shinobi. Yet, what of the stories of those who truly were in the shadows? Of the civilian's, of the clerics and desk workers who ensured Konoha could even proceed and be prosperous? What about in different nations? What if the person in my/V's world had been from Suna? Or Kumo? Or Kiri? What changes would be found then? What if they were from one of the islands that lay outside the nations and often avoided? There was so much that could potentially alter the entire story based entirely on who told it, what their circumstances were. I mean there had been Uchiha fan girls and boys before the massacre who would have you convinced that it was the Uchiha who had founded Konoha, single handedly gave birth to a line of super humans that could do no wrong and were blessed with an innate coolness. None of this was correct, of course.

I have little doubt the Hyuuga would have entirely contradictory information.

What this led me to believe is that whomever V was, because most of that was lost in the strange gap between her and me now; the information on this supposedly to her fictitious world, was subjective. It did explain the strange imagery I felt compelled to paint and the even more outlandish sensations of when something was important or to be ignored. Naruto, of course, having been the most primary of all of those.

Which was so peculiar because before I was accidentally stalked by the tiny little fellow in bright orange, I would have never paid him mind. Yet there had always been the sensation of 'important' around Naruto, which only now made sense.

Of course, it would be understood once I had him so much a part of my life that the very idea of his not somehow being a prevalent and all pervasive part was..

Well.

It just wasn't feasible.

I would have sighed if I was capable of it.

()()()()

Finally, slowly after what felt like an eternity; my body was capable of moving. Upon opening my eyes all I saw was blonde. A small frame, too small for his age, was curled up inside the highly uncomfortable chairs. He was working furiously at scribbling in his workbook and I managed a soft sigh, my eyes half open. Smiling hurt, but I could feel my muscles in my face twist and tug to cause a tiny one. At the faint sigh his blue eyes had snapped to me.

Normally when someone comments on eyes being red rimmed it's from lack of sleep, alcohol, such things. There was a gleam of crimson to his eyes that made me recall hearing from Ibiki in one of my frequent meanderings through being conscious, that he was snappish and snarly. I think it had been Ibiki. The red subsided though and he made a choked sound.

"h..ey.."

"Nee-chan!" Naruto had a hoarse tone to his voice as if he hadn't been speaking, and while from the body language I could see he wanted to fling himself at me he settled for crouching closer to the bed. His hands fisted in my covers so close to my own and when I gave a pathetic cough he ever so carefully put the straw to my lips for water. I was propped up in a sitting position, his posture gave away how often he must have done this for me.

As soon as the straw was removed I closed my eyes just a little more. "...hello little brother..." My words were slurred and halting, but punctuated with an equally clumsy chuffing sound of affection. Naruto visibly shuddered, his eyes fixed on me as if terrified I'd vanish.

"I'hd ruffle tha hair buh..." Oh gods I sounded like an idiot. Naruto just managed a watery chuckle and moved so his cheek was against my hand, which he was holding in both of his so carefully.

"You look horrid.." Good boy. I'd explained to him a long time ago when Ibiki had come back in bad shape from an interrogation that the criminal had snuck a weapon into, always explain what you knew to the ninja you were by. I wasn't shinobi to his knowledge but thank god he was following my instructions. "You are _covered_ in bruises..and cuts. Apparently you had a lot of internal organ damage and you've been here for weeks..the medic-nin said you don't do well with their chakra so most of it has to be done with time and old fashioned medicine. I guess ...well I eavesdropped. I know you don't mind that so much if I don't get caught so..right. Don't fall asleep yet..please? Anyways, so they healed inside much as they could with chakra but want outside to go the old fashioned way. So they have ya on a bunch of medicine and You have a really weird long file here..I guess..um..so..what..happened?" There was a pause and then for the first time I heard a deeply serious and rather angry tone to Naruto. "Who hurt you, Nee-chan?"

I just smiled at him, before I closed my eyes a little but moved my fingers so he'd be aware I was awake.

"Much I do not remember. But, I recall we gave notice.."

"Huh?"

"Sorry.." I opened my eyes and chuckled faintly, apparently I had started to drift off and talk during it. Medicine, strange stuff. "Was escorting.."

"Yeah um..does it hurt to talk? It does doesn't it.." So smart, Naruto. He nodded once seriously "Mmm! Right! So uh, those crazy uncles of mine said you were supposed to be checking in with people in Kumo..that's all I know though.."

"Other Ikiryo. They are out there..distant relations. Can't.." I flinched and adjusted my position, changing what I was going to say. Darn medicine was messing with my secrets here. At least when faced with Naruto. "thought was going to be an easy trip. Ended up ambushed on the way home. My ninja escort ran because of the odds." talking was slowly getting easier the longer I went. The issue was while talking was easier, the medicine that was keeping me from feeling just how much pain I must be in was seriously messing up my thoughts. I'd go from somewhat coherent to thinking I just saw a bright blue and purple fish swim by.

"hate hospitals..hate medicines.."

Naruto gave me a shy foxy grin and nodded. "Yeah..um, you can't heal with chakra so they said if the pain got to be too much for you I was supposed to let them know and they would give you stuff. But every time they have you get _weird_ Nee-chan. Like, totally weird. Dattebayo! You start talking about things that make no sense at all. At one point you were complaining that pretty wolfies shouldn't be stuck indoors."

I could not help it though it hurt my chest and ribs, and oh what it did to my stomach..I laughed. "I'm not a pretty wolfie? Awww.."

"Nee-chan.." Naruto deadpanned. "I think your medicine is at it again.."

"Still know..love ya anyways."

I didn't stay conscious long enough but I'm pretty sure I could _feel_ the blushing happiness from Naruto. He's so cute when he's embarrassed.

()()()()()()

As it turned out I had been in and out of consciousness for a long time. Quite a few weeks, and that was enough that Ibiki and Inoichi, as well as Naruto, were just pretending nothing had really happened. At some point Ibiki had walked me through what had really happened. The distress from the two of us had summoned Inoichi rapidly. I have no idea what excuse he gave to escape work when he _felt_ we were upset. It's that whole pack bond we can't talk about but it's there secret thing.

Huh. Maybe the reason Naruto doesn't really phase me is a little more obvious..

"You...that shouldn't be possible. Even with your family jutsu. There was nothing in the scrolls your father left to indicate any such..complication." Inoichi was rubbing the bridge of his nose in a fashion I realized Ino and Naruto had picked up on. How cute, all three of the blondes did that now.

"I know. Trust me, I'm fully aware of it Inoichi.." I groaned, glad that Ibiki had made this place in the hospital so heavily warded it was likely even Hiruzen's magic crystal ball could not see in. Paranoia, we Shinobi and semi-shinobi seem to thrive on it. "That's what I remember though. I didn't ghost, I made them..I forced them to ..but they left their bodies behind..."

"Because you were all but cut in half." Ibiki bit that part out, he was not happy.

Come to think of it, neither was I. We'd been over this a number of times but it always ended up the same. Feeling trapped and unable to Ghost I had instead forced the five around me to do just that when I was very injured. This wasn't the smooth transition my chakra system was meant for though, it was a warped version of when I had ghosted once with Crane because we needed out of a place fast. If he'd had a lot of Chakra I'm not certain I could have done it, but Crane/Gai was nothing if not entirely thorough with his measured amounts of chakra. Having a ruthless focus on Taijutsu just meant that he was entirely ruthless on how to exactly apply his own chakra use for other purposes. I'd been able to take him into the full Ghosting range with me but it had left Crane queasy and feeling cold for days.

So with my body heavily damaged as I had not been armored- surely my potential partner would have noticed something so off with a civilian along- and the sheer desperation to get back to my pack and family that came with the blood loss, I had been unwilling to reveal my secret but that didn't mean I couldn't twist it. Apparently. I had made the five attackers I had [ghost] rather then myself. It had been hard and my chakra coils still felt bruised. Still, I was able to do so and the rather grisly result was five would be attackers became five still bodies with their souls apparently outside of them and no way to repair the silver cord that bound each to their lives. They had faded, swiftly. I doubt they even realized they were dead.

Considering my would be partner was very dead (yeah that would be a case where ashes was a necessity because just not enough left..) I am not certain who found me and brought me back. Nor the very clearly made scrolls with the bodies of the ones who had attacked me being sealed within. Trust me, if I couldn't even do basic academy Jutsu halfway well did it seem likely I would be allowed to try on the more complex ones. I couldn't even seal anything into a scroll and that was considered very basic.

The ones who had found me, Ibiki told me I couldn't know who they were to prevent corrupting the tale. Since it was still a very informal information debriefing I'm assuming otherwise everything matched up. Because my abilities were such a secret, and this potentially heinous new aspect to them would be even higher security the official report seemed to be that whomever killed the attackers, had sealed the scrolls and just left me there. There was in the middle of the patrol path for the day for Konoha shinobi.

Unofficially my brothers were seriously on the panic level that barely rivaled the first time I had gotten my monthly visitor after our bonds. Hah. Watching two grown men double over in pain they were not used to and whimpering pathetically was priceless. They had a _lot_ more respect for women these days. Especially since the same pain that they'd shared so early in our mental and emotional connection of our pack bond had barely registered for me. What can I say, as a girl you get used to your uterus trying to kill you on a regular basis and as long as the threshold was below 'carve out with a spoon' or 'can't move please let me pass out', it was a decent cycle. We'd found ways to back ourselves off to where we were now but those early days had been..interesting. Needless to say Rei-chan, Ino's mother, was highly spoiled all through her pregnancy and Inoichi was one of the few completely unashamed men when it came to a women's supplies.

This was that level of panic though. It was a 'this is a very bad complication and how did we not consider this', which meant it was the same level as two young men suddenly realizing they got to feel the side effects of menstruation. Huh. I was definitely still on meds if I was comparing the odds of this newer Akatsuki nuke-nin to my monthlies. Then again they did have red clouds and..

"Please. Stop." Inoichi twitched, Ibiki was giving him an amused look and as I blinked over at Inoichi I grinned then. I'd figured out he'd been monitoring me mentally more then he should because you know there's nothing like a fussy Yamanaka. All that 'remembered trauma' was just to poke at my brother.

"Seriously though, to be honest Anrui this is bad. We're grateful you are alive, this also shows that if anything they were using a civilian to mock the rest of the ninja. It's just..it is a great deal of trouble though. No patrol in the area here or in Kumo saw anyone who would fit the description. We are still gathering intel as to whom exactly is in the organization..much less what their goals are. It's a frightening idea if they had known you were a ninja instead of looking like a civilian who should be dead by now in all rights."

I'd a new nasty scar from ribcage to hip but though it had been meant to pour all my innards out it was something of instinct to make myself go partially insubstantial after a while. Apparently I only didn't suffer from bloodloss because as I lay bleeding out, on my back so my guts didn't quite go everywhere, I had after a time automatically started to partially transition my body. I did know whomever had brought me back thought I had been afflicted with some strange jutsu, Inoichi had taken care of them. Likely had simply removed the information from their mind entirely.

"If you do think of anything, we need to know."

"Obviously, Ibiki."

"Oh relax, he's just uptight because Naruto pranked his favorite pair of shoes. They're pink now.."

"...Why is Naruto using pink"

"Ah, he said something about it not being as obvious who it was."

"Which is defeated, soundly, by the fact he forgot to scrub the paint off his hair and under his nails, but I corrected him on his technique before setting him to scrubbing all the paint off."

()()()()()()

"Anrui-Nee?"

"Ah?"

It was a few weeks later and I was finally out of the hospital. Seeing as they couldn't use much chakra on me at a time most of my healing outside was the slow sort. It meant a lot of slow moving, painkillers, and taking it easy almost non stop. Luckily I had a hyper bundle of orange and blonde who was more then happy to do most things for me seeing as I was so badly hurt.

"I was wondering, do you want me to get anything on the way home from school?" Naruto was muching on an apple, blue eyes soft and friendly but with the ever there glean of trouble. I could guess if I asked the right errand he had something else to do in town later.

"You can stop off and pick up dinner from our favorite tea house. I won't be able to cook still, Sorry Naruto..if you want instead you can eat Ramen and Ichiraku's first and then ..."

"No." Naruto interupted with a pout as he looked up at me, he gave a tiny little huff then and crossed his arms, school bag over his shoulder. His academy bag was already resting by the front door for tomorrow morning. "Ramen is amazing but I can't enjoy it when I know you're here alone, an helpless..and hurting. And you're hungry." Naruto nodded once, serious expression only highlighted by the fact he'd managed to get darker tips to his hair and was currently wearing it sheared exceptionally short. Pranking lesson went wrong but it wasn't a bad look for him, just looked a little odd. On the other hand it definitely made him look older, and Naruto was hardly going to forget to take better protective measures again.

"It's my job to look after you while you're hurt. Dattebayo!"

"Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto blushed and nodded, he then looked back up at me with a faint smile. "It's nice..being needed."

I chuckled and chuffed at him, settling in better in the couch. "...It's nice having someone besides my brothers to rely on."

And it was worth saying that, leaving out Crane and my clan (not that Naruto knew about Crane or that he came by to ever so patiently and slowly work with me on my physical fitness when no one would find him) just to see the sheer pride and elation my words had on Naruto.

"So next year, just so you know, Nee-chan..I am taking the academy exam again. Uncle Ibiki said I should try with this one for real." Naruto was determined. It was always a force of nature to reckon with. "If they fail me this time I'm going to find a way to really make it mayhem for them! Or..or..I'll pain the Hokage mountain!"

"Whoa, save that till you're a few years older Naruto, you need to work on evading more first"

"Oh yeah huh. Well then..I'll come up with something. I always do. Maybe a new pranking jutsu..I wonder what distracts people the most.."

)_)_)_)_)_)_

He called it the Sexy Jutsu.

I called it needing to go back to the hospital because I laughed so hard my stitches split open even though it was long past the time they were taken out. It actually was a complicated little piece of work that was astounding because he could not just form the little cloud's covering the important things bit, but also change the hair and clothing as if it was his actual form. He had been able to tweak the age of it too, but kept the serious 'Naruko-chan' jutsu part of it a secret. He'd also been using it as a training method from Ibiki, who thought it was one of the funniest things he had ever seen especially since Naruto didn't get _why_ people got excited or upset (which was just embarrassed excited) after seeing it. We'd used that to work on his henge in general to the point he was better then a little good. In fact it seemed misdirection may be as big of a skill of the little guy's then anything.

I had taken pictures of Chibi-Ibiki and Chibi-Inoichi Naruto with their actual counter parts. I'd asked Naruto ahead of time to also after I said 'Ramen' for him to drop the henge on his looks but keep the part with the henged gear and clothing. It had taken him a long time to learn how to only partly drop a henge and so I had the cutest pictures of Naruto dressed like his uncles, beaming up at them as they both did their version of ninja smiles at the surprise.

They even had one of me laughing when Naruko-chan made herself look like my little sister, and then one of Naruto where he just henged to get my facial markings and hair color. I carried that one with me, and liked that I could claim I had a little brother and show that image when traveling. Naruto was not only aware I did that, I think he was rather emotional about it. Or you know 'had something in his eye'.

Boys.

()()()()()()

"You know I really wish that my birthday wasn't on a day I can't go to the festival.." Naruto whined as he lay on the couch. Ten. The little Gaki was Ten. How did that happen?

"Why can't you go?"

"Cuz the shinobi related villagers haaaaate meeeee..."

"Henge."

"..I knew that."

"Uh huh."

"I did! I just wanted to see if you figured it out! You know since you never even finished the..um.." Naruto suddenly paled and flinched as he mentioned my supposed failure of the academy and I sighed.

"Naruto..just because I cannot henge, and I couldn't pass like so many others do, doesn't mean I am clueless on techniques. Now who are you going to look like tonight?"

Naruto rubbed his nose and gave me an awkward glance. "I dunno..."

I chuckled then and shook my head. "Well, why not be my little brother then? Ibiki will probably get too much attention, or match Inoichi and you can play Ino's cousin that looks like her but then she'll want to visit the other girls..and Sakura."

Naruto visibly flinched again even as his face turned pink. He liked Sakura, thought she was smart and pretty and used to be sweet but apparently had become vicious and cruel. Bullied for a long time she apparently became a bully herself and threw her friendship with Ino away over a boy. It wasn't something he could understand so even though he had a crush on Sakura, he disliked doing so. He'd been unable to get Ibiki or Inoichi to explain why Sakura acted so weird, he actually had enough sense to not ask Ino over the touchy subject. When I'd asked if he wanted me to try and figure it out Naruto had snorted and said 'Nope. You and the clan girls here all seem to have sense. An I bet the civilian's won't get why I like a bully so..I guess it's just that she's smart and pretty and I can admit to that but I don't have to like that I like that!'

"guess we know you still like them smart..too bad none of the Nara's have any girls your age.."

"Aw I'd like her to be up to playing pranks or doing more than being in bed all the time!"

"...some day Naruto, when you're older, I am so reminding you of that. All the time." I hadn't expected him to understand but oh that had just been priceless.

"Anyways yeah I wanna look like you tonight. If Uncle Ibiki was walking around some of his lady friends may worry or make things more complicated for him, Ino I can hang out with being your copy and then my being loud and obviously crazy.."

"I said that once!"

"A week!"

"Well it's accurate!"

We both ended up chuckling and I just nodded. "I've got a kimono from when I was younger that you can wear." Naruto just grinned and resumed reading his notebook on pranks. He didn't fuss because he was fully aware that the Ikiryo had a habit of just wearing unisex kimono's for formal events. We did it because it was just how we were, and the long sleeves and trailing skirts with massive Obi's was frankly, beautiful but pointless. I was a wolf, not a peacock or butterfly.

We'd never really made it for a full festival before this. This year it was only possible because of how good Naruto's henge's had become. Holding my hand without any of the shame so many other even younger kids showed, Naruto was content to stay next to me as we laughed and explored. For once, I left my hair down and actually put on eye shadow and lip gloss. I still was in comfortable boots rather than traditional shoes but I didn't care. Naruto had actually begged to wear eyeshadow too, I think it was more because he was hoping I'd put my family marking on him but I told him to henge that so it looked more genuine.

"You..mean it?" Naruto knew how important clan markings were. Ikiryo blue rather then Inuzuma red was rare and would be a very obvious claim. I had just smiled at him and his beaming face had shimmered into view with my exact sweeping lines. They suited him well.

With his markings, it didn't even matter that he had blonde hair only tipped in blue where mine was the usual brindle blue and gray hues. Paired with the matching navy kimono's with black and silver Moon obscured by clouds clan symbol, and the wispy patterns along the hems and shoulders in black and silver. We had all our accents in silver with small touches of black, though my kimono being an adult also had a stylized wolf on the back. It had been my father's, and though the fit was different because I had curves it wasn't entirely obvious that it had been for a larger man. It was something easy to adjust after all.

"Look! Anrui-chan!" Naruto was so excited, he was practically bouncing in place. Unlike me he had happily worn the traditional sandals and seemed to be having a blast at the clacking sound they made. "Uncle Ibiki! Uncle Inoichi! Auntie Rei!" He paused then and in only Naruto fashion exclaimed "Amaretsu-sama's likeness made flesh!" I didn't even bother to hide my laughs as my hand was dropped in order for the gaki to race over, loudly clacking and looking like a fool to Ino. Once there he bowed deeply and took her hands in his, exclaiming over her beauty, her grace.

Ino, the little shit, ate it all up.

Rei and I weren't close but we got along just fine, she wasn't aware I was more then I seemed after all and she was a ninja. "Well at least I know she'll be having high standards of how to be treated, the way that boy flatters her.." she chuckled to me.

I flashed her a toothy grin and nodded "He'll do a lot of our work keeping the shallow boys away for us. I can't wait until they are dating age and someone tries to woo Ino..the wrath of the obviously crazy child will mean pranks unending.."

"Good for him. If he asks at that time I'll even buy the supplies." Rei smirked, she wasn't a bad sort at all if rather prim and proper. I was..I suppose rather fond of her. If I hadn't always needed to hide more about my shinobi side, as much as I was currently on extended leave still as my healing had been mostly manual and Naruto was just too close to graduating. The only work I had done was the actual official escorting as a civilian guide. I kept up my training of course, and if anything Ibiki and Inoichi were helping to ensure I could train with Crane whose peculiar methods were better then any rehabilitation anyone else could have come up with. Crane would push me to my utter limit, one motion away from destroying my body, and then ease me back.

But I couldn't tell Rei. Thus Rei was nice, and we had some funny times and didn't mind each other. However, she thought I was a mostly useless civilian her husband was practically a triplet to as far as we were concerned and had more a fond toleration for me as though I was a peculiar hobby of his. A project.

"I think we're all pretty protective of Ino." was all I said as Rei was clearly ignoring me for the sake of someone else she'd seen. I flickered my eyes back to where Naruto had knelt on the ground, heedless of his kimono, to further comment on Ino's wonderfulness. Ibiki was cracking up, which meant his eyebrow was twitching. We were out in public after all. Inoichi was beaming proudly and I didn't doubt he'd snapped a few pictures already. The really amusing part was how many of the girls that Ino obviously knew, were trying to figure out how the 'strange foreign boy' knew Ino and why she was getting all the attention.

I had a feeling Naruto was helping Ino out from some school confrontation, judging by the glassy eyes and heartfelt smile his fellow blonde was gifting him with.

()()()()NarutoPOV()()()

Naruto loved it when Ino was happy. Not bossy, not angry or pretending but really happy. Ino was one of those people who controlled and bickered but it was because in her own way she was trying to make as many people happy as she could. She was just a bit of a control freak and because her Jutsu from her family left her so vulnerable, she was highly in need of confidence. It came across otherwise though to others, but Naruto had faked being secure and happy so long he understood.

He'd been fully aware that there had been a Sasuke fan club war going on that for some reason isolated and ignored Ino. Sakura they just bullied but Ino was entirely shunned. Probably because she was so uncommonly pretty and from a clan of geniuses with rare bloodlines entirely different then the Uchiha. In other words, she'd be a surprisingly strong match. If someone with the Sharingan had ever managed to also learn mind jutsu's they'd be unstoppable.

So Naruto made it his goal to keep her happy, to make certain she knew at least one person saw how great she was in their age group. Ino knew him well enough now to know that while Naruto was extremely going overboard in his compliments, he did mean them. Ino was pretty, smart, talented, and brave. She was loyal but her way of showing it often seemed like she was being petty and unkind.

"You do look really nice though in purple." Naruto said as he stood back up with a cheshire grin. Ino blushed but it was hidden by her large confident smile. Her lessons on controlling her outward emotions were clearly going well then, better then when Inoichi tried to help him that's for sure.

"Why thank you! I like blue on you, though Orange does suit you..somehow. Just I have no idea how..it shouldn't really..logically blues, black..though gold would look good too. The silver doesn't quite work.." Ino started even as she took his arm to pull him along to look at the stalls.

"They're Ikiryo colors.."

"Oh?" Ino paused, turning to eye him, then Anrui who stood not far away laughing with her packmates, even as Rei held onto Inoichi's arm. Anrui was beautiful, somehow seeming all the more wild for being in a men's kimono but with her hair down and the faintest hint of pink over her lips. The wolf wore a bejeweled collar but no one seemed to realize it was all for show. Ino was starting to guess, there was just too much to how the three were. Even more then when the legendary Ino-Shika-Cho team was together and she'd visit with Shikamaru and Choji. The teammates were friends and like a family, but when Inoichi, Ibiki, and Anrui stood there and laughed it was something else entirely. Naruto just chuckled, grinning as Ino's gaze returned to him.

"Yeah I see it now. I guess..when you have blue in your hair, the silver works just fine."

"Hey Ino.."

"Yes Naruto?"

"...don't listen to anyone at the academy. You're amazing. Some day they'll all see it too but it will be too late." Naruto paused then, but as serious as his ten years could let him he nodded, blue eyes to blue eyes. "You deserve better then the Uchiha you know..I mean that." He turned away so she wouldn't feel she had to justify a response and instead laughed. "Lets get goldfish!"

Tugging Ino away this time Naruto grinned. "And then I want some of the food here..it's my first real festival, I want to do everything!"

"everything?!"

"Come on Ino! Did you hear there's gonna be fireworks?!" Naruto grinned over his shoulder at his best friend, amused at how she just rolled her eyes and muttered about silly boys and of course there would be fireworks.

He'd tell her that he'd sort of stolen a few of them when they set up the festival for later. Those needed something really big to be set off. Maybe when he graduated.


	10. Green Beast And daily life is crazy

AN: As usual I don't really check spelling or grammar. I write to get this out, and I don't really have any idea where it is going. It's just fun. And I tend to write semi buzzed at the end of a long day which contributes to grammatical disaster.

Continuing a half of a year and then to Naruto being 11. We're very close now to 'canon' time. For however long I keep to that LOL Sorry for the longer wait between chapters, I'm trying to make them a lot longer to make up for it.

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"So then the stupid sensei goes and tells me I 'have terrible form' and 'that's not the academy style so I can't pass you' he's such a jerk!" Naruto huffed and glared down at his feet, toes currently bared as he sat beside me in the garden. It was spring, beautiful, and Naruto was ten going on eleven. He'd tried to pass with the spring class, a whole two years before the average. I was very proud of him for even trying. He was too busy being upset though and I knew why. Ibiki had been teaching him some very..unsavory..fighting methods. Ideal for in the field, ruthlessly overdone for the Academy. He hadn't told naruto that of course. As with everything Ibiki did out of love, there was a painful teaching lesson there as well if you caught it.

Naruto needed to learn when to show skills and when to hide them. It would serve him well later but since he didn't have a single urge to hide he was skilled, Ibiki was using a dirty fighting form that could be ignored on the surface as his learned on the street methods. None of the techniques would pass him in any way in the academy even if he could use them to win fights. Amazingly, aside from Iruka no one even seemed to figure out Naruto had been taken in by me. Even my own clan outside Tsume thought he just visited because I fed him. And Iruka..ha..Iruka whom I had the hilarious and awkward (on his part) confrontation from about my using Uzumaki for my own gain...seriously. It had been priceless.

He'd shown up one weekend and knocked on my door with the most grown up version of a toddler doing their 'serious face' I could think of.

"Ah, Inuzuka-san, I am Iruka, one of the academy instructors..if we could talk? It is about Uzumaki..."

"Ah?" I had leaned on my doorjamb casually. It was early, I was in my robe with my hair still in my sleeping pigtails and quite far from my morning cup of tea. Still I lifted a brow, and he cleared his throat.

"May I come in?"

"Look, I get you somehow know Naruto and my last name but I have no intention of letting a strange man into my home. What kind of woman do you think I am?"

Iruka blushed and frowned "Nothing like that! I assure you this is quite serious!"

"hm, I don't know you Iruka-san. You're a ninja I get it, you lot always do this." My glare, wasn't entirely fake. Even if he seemed like a nice person and Naruto liked him (mostly because he was an easy target that forgave him all the time) he was unconsciously doing that whole bully the civilian's who don't know better thing. Trust me, you learn to pick up on it. "You always seem to think that just because I don't have a Konoha symbol on my face I'm somehow less a citizen."

"Ah I didn't.." but for a moment, his eyes looked left.

I could feel myself growling. "Yes you do. I don't know you. A stranger shows up, asks to come in? Just using names but no reference no suggestion or introduction from another party? To the home of a single woman who lives alone..and your lack of flinching at the idea shows you knew that already so it doesn't shock you. You think I want to just invite a shinobi.." here I let my lips curl, showing the Inuzuka temper though it was faked. I wanted him to think so hard he stopped thinking. I hated this side of being a civilian and yet not but while everything I was overreacting about was in complete honesty, the main thing was to make it where I had him so turned around whatever he did find out about Naruto living with me would be muddied. I wasn't going to have the little gaki's home invaded when he felt safe with me. "A trained and accomplished enough to still be alive, killer..into my home. Go away."

"I would never!"

"And no one here I trust to vouch for you.." my growl lowered more. The part that made this so harsh, so under my skin is that _it happened all the time!_ Ever since the Uchiha were killed off someone would indeed enter a woman's home, under seemingly innocent claims. Horrible things would happen even if it was just to scare them, place them under a genjutsu, or something more heinous. Without the military police who usually came on the side of the civilian's because how could they take on ninja? And no civilian wanted to lose that support we played along with the humble aspect. Without them though, no one kept the ninja in check. They'd take the fee, the community service, and go on. Rarely was 'having a flash back and killing someone thinking they were still on the battlefield' ever an actual event. For those shinobi who did suffer, the civilian's were highly supportive. It usually ended up costing the ninja their job and then there was a skilled if often chakra bound for no reason the shinobi could understand, new civilian with some odd skills.

For any shinobi that snapped too often that was the fate, total chakra binding. Ibiki took care that it happened, same with Inoichi. But if they could pass the psych evals just enough? Nothing protected the civilians.

And the age old 'she didn't refuse me, she led me on, she was dressed like she wanted it..' and sadly it was not always limited to 'she'. Male and female civilian's were always treated like if they were so fortunate as to get a shinobi's attention they should be grateful. I wasn't even half pretending anymore, part of why I wanted Naruto who was so shunned by the shinobi out there already, to have a civilian background was because if anyone understood being left out it was us. And if some day, that bright eyed hopeful child did become Hokage, he could make it even. He could protect the citizens; shinobi and civilian alike from threats inside Konoha, not just out.

That was my dream.

So here I was glaring and snarling at Iruka because I had a very real reason to think he wasn't who he said he was, that he was indeed a threat.

And I had a pup in my den.

Ah great, instincts were taking over.

I felt my hands grip my doorjamb as I kept growling and Iruka's posture turned wary, judging me instantly. There was something cold in his expression that said I had just fallen into some preconceived notion he had. And he dared to seem disappointed in the fact. He was in my territory and challenging me..one wrong move and I would have either a lot of bruises or a body to hide and things to explain to Hiruzen.

"Anrui-neechan what's up?" Naruto's soft sunny voice came and then he made a frustrated sound. I heard him stomping off, and then very soon was back and practically yelled at me. "Anrui-chan! TEA!"

I couldn't help it, I turned and looked away from the potential threat as Naruto came up beside me and shoved a cup up in my direction. "Sit down Anrui-chan and drink your tea." There was a growl in his voice, so tiny and useless as it made him sound more like a fluffy little pup then anything to me but then again I was Ikiryo. Growling was adorable from the pipsqueak and had taken him ages to learn a tone that worked with me rather then getting himself swatted or laughed at. Sipping the offered tea and sighing in bliss as the green tea did it's slow and steady job of supplying caffeine to my blood Naruto chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

I was very pleased he had taken my place blocking the door as I moved back to rest against a wall, savoring the caffeinated deliciousness. The Gaki had fantastic instincts, maybe the fox sealed in his gullet was good for something, even if he was trying to learn more canine behavior from me.

"Sorry Iruka-sensei. Anrui-chan is really territorial like all her clan and she hates early mornings. Did you need something?" Naruto ever the seemingly oblivious grinned up at his teacher from under his frog shaped sleep hat, with his bright orange sleep wear that he'd actually drawn little shuriken and frogs on. And lots and lots of Dattebayo! Written all over. I'd learned to not trust him with a sharpie after that. Even if it was cute. Iruka just looked from one of us to the other, bemused.

I snorted and turned away ruffling Naruto's hair through his hat. "Don't let him in." That I turned my back and trusted my little hellion to protect the 'den' when my instincts were up was high praise and Naruto knew it. I didn't care if it looked strange that at that exchange I was treated to a brighter then the sun smile and nod.

Knowing Naruto could handle it I went to the kitchen. My tea cup was already empty.

Apparently Naruto had easily rolled his eyes, reminded Iruka that I'd been who Naruto had been visiting at the hospital and this was home. He had a smug shifty expression for a few days though and was seen nodding and speaking in low terms with Ibiki so I assumed my part in all of that was done. It was..quite frankly adorable. Somehow I knew Naruto had made Iruka feel like he had all the information without giving away anything at all.

Which led us indirectly to my sprawling out in the yard while Naruto sulked about not passing, and humming softly. Civilian school was on a long break, it only went for winter and fall really with smaller specialized classes during the rest of the year. Naruto was doing mostly home study and would return his books that weren't from the library along with his assignments on a regular basis. He was doing quite well too.

"...Nrhiff.'' It was a seemingly nonsense sound. It was one of those instinctive noises and the first time I had made it in a long time.

Naruto's head whipped towards me and his eyes went wide, hopeful. All these years and he still seemed awed when any of my pack showed him we genuinely liked him and cared for who he was. His room was plastered in one wall with nothing but photo's proving that he was loved and I often caught him staring at it with the most awestruck and content face.

"You heard me. I'm not repeating." I grumped but lifted my arm to the side from where I was laying in the grass. The next instant there was a warm limpet against my side, his head where he could rest an ear over my heartbeat. Two arms wound around my own, drawing it around him tightly as he shivered for just a moment before going utterly boneless.

We'd learned, my packmates and I, that while we couldn't explain it to Naruto, the fox had passed on some instincts. So many of my noises, and the ones of the clan that was body language and sounds most humans didn't relate to, Naruto just comprehended. I'd called him over, like a wolf to a little pup. When I made those noises I knew they meant far more then silly phrases like 'I love you'. My sounds were instincts, not something I could help. They couldn't be faked.

I'm not sure how my packmates explained all that on one of my trips before I'd been injured to Naruto but now every sound like that seemed to catch his attention. Whether it was nonsense or playful, but especially the caring ones.

"...I wish there was a spring festival to go to.."

"Mmm. There are plenty of them, for civilian's..if you want to go?"

"Naw. I meant..a big one. Like on my birthday.." there was a sly kitsune tone to his voice and I could practically feel his chakra coil and twist in glee. "You know. With lots of shinobi..shinobi you don't know..so they can cause a scene..''

"Gaki. We are having fish for dinner now."

Naruto exploded into delighted laughter against me, and with how close we were I knew he could feel the rumble of my own deep laughs. Naruto always did seem to be able to make me laugh from my belly, unhindered.

"I'll tell Ino you'd like to take her to one of the festivals.."

"Why not? I like spoilin Ino."

"You're good for her."

"She's good to me. I just want to return that." Naruto had an affection for Ino that I think was modeled on how he saw Ibiki, Inoichi, and myself. He treated her like she was powerful and smart, but deserved to be spoiled and cared for. Naruto considered Ino outside of the academy where they both played their roles, to be his best friend. Ino I know, considered it the same. Naruto had too much fun teasing and complimenting Ino, Ino liked helping Naruto smarten up and actually act like a child at times. They were light hearted around each other and playful which was a blessing for all of us.

"..I'm proud of you."

I felt Naruto shift, embarrassed. He didn't always know how to take praise but he soaked it up even all these years later. "So um. when's.. _he_ coming again?"

I snorted in laughter. "Brat."

The festival back in October had been wonderful. Ino and Naruto had acted like children they were, rushing from stall to stall to win prizes and snacks. Ino had better aim but Naruto had uncanny ways of planning to win. They'd win gifts for each other, any they didn't really want but had just enjoyed the game for they gave away without a second thought to the smaller kids around them. Naruto regularly paused to be shameless in his flattery to Ino who would blush and smile pleasantly. Inoichi kept running out of film, and we had no less then four albums of that night. He always did go overboard.

Now, years ago when we moved from just working well together to being friends, Crane and I had schemed. Because Crane and Ghost were not precisely able to interact outside of missions or training, we had found another method. Accidental friendship. It had to be something entirely outlandish and believable though because Gai was anything but subtle. Nor, was he the sort to befriend a simple civilian without reason. We had spent numerous nights on the way too and from a mission, and even during the boring parts, snickering and planning.

It had to be flawless by seeming entirely flawed.

We had a severe advantage however, and no one looked underneath the obvious. Shinobi were too busy looking for secrets buried in deeper secrets for as many levels as they could go, and never paid much attention to the so glaringly obvious it couldn't be anything sort of mayhem. Gai was flashy, loud, outlandish. If he didn't combine them all then perhaps someone may have been alarmed to realize just how strong and powerful Gai was, but by making a mockery of himself and bellowing speeches that made little to no sense, people just looked the other way or tried to avoid thinking of him. Gai honestly could train in plain sight and none of his fellows really paid attention.

The number of people who knew Gai was also Crane, a feared tank in the ANBU corps who was quiet and meticulous, brutally efficient..was less then a handful.

By that token almost all those same people, though perhaps a few less, knew that Ghost was also a civilian drop out of the ninja academy who couldn't handle even the most basic jutsu mere children could accomplish. Anrui was a quiet personality, in the sense I didn't go outwardly socializing often. I kept to small groups, even in the clan I wasn't friends with many save those civilians I had grown close to over time. I had a temper and it was well known, I did odd seemingly unrelated things to bring in money among the civilians and I had the wild appearance of my Ikiryo blood though few knew I wasn't actually an Inuzuka in name, not that I ever hid that. It was well known I had a closer then normal friendship that was entirely non sexual with Ibiki and Inoichi, tolerable acquaintance with Inoichi's wife and as of late I was often the 'victim' as many saw it, of being stalked by Naruto. That I often escorted ninja to blend like civilian's in other locations was viewed as a great idea and applauded for my trying to help the chakra infused dolts not be so obvious by my fellow civilian's. Humorously that I did that same job was viewed as pitiful charity that the Hokage did to keep one of the truly most useless and not even good for paperwork dull duty because I couldn't handle the jutsu's by the shinobi.

So of course, Gai and Anrui had nothing in common.

Gai really did plan his speeches ahead of time. He had hundreds of them ready for the right situation, complete with special effect genjutsu's that for some reason people never remembered he was using. At this point it had been over five years that we had been waiting to enact our little plan, and I knew once I had been hurt within the last eight months that Gai was going to get impatient. I was impatient! I missed my friend, and if he was just loud and more obvious didn't matter, Crane was Gai and reverse. Just one was more subtle and one didn't hide anything of himself.

Literally. Skin tight green spandex.

Apparently it was 'comfy'.

Even there.

I had actually gotten Crane to snort and fight to hide his laughter when I just commented that he was seriously messed up to go thinking that; none of my 'delicate areas' liked being confined I couldn't imagine his did either.

Apparently things were... tailored.

The level of utterly pathetic dirty jokes we had slung back and forth for hours after that revelation was truly on the rate of teenagers. We had sake to help out for it but only a little.

Still, before the fireworks Naruto had been trying to holler for our group to come and see the 'crazy guy that Ino was beating at catching gold fish. Naruto had tugged us over, there was quite a crowd and despite the festival many ninja were in their usual clothing. Others looked positively unsure how to wear normal clothes at the event or went so formal they looked silly. Playing the fish scooping game along with Ino, a good half dozen civilian kids I knew, and a few teens clearly on dates..was a man in a very bright green and orange kimono. I am quite proud that I didn't even react or laugh.

"Ah! Ino got one! Way to go Ino-chan!" Naruto had praised Ino with her tiny little prize, as the blondes stood beaming at each other. Naruto was content to let Ino win most the time, he'd compete against others but was only ever supportive to Ino. They'd been taking turns which games to play so they left the competition for the academy.

"thanks Naruto! Look how cute he is! He's even gold..we have a new Blondie in the Yamanaka household!"

"YOSH!"

Practically everyone else fell silent to stare at the very..eager...man in the green outfit plunging his hand into the water over and over. He'd broken a number of the paper scoops in his enthusiasm and I saw a lot of the ninja's that were observing, with their hands over their faces embarrassed. It wasn't the first time Gai and I had been in close proximity, but I wouldn't have reacted if he was someone else, so I didn't now.

Until a fish was an accidental victim of Gai's enthusiasm and landed with a wet Splotch onto Naruto's head.

Accidental. Right. Ridiculously trained and obsessed with his coordination and physical prowess Gai accidentally flung a little flopping fish onto the one boy's head who I was there with.

I was a good and loving big sister. I proceeded to point at Naruto and howl in laughter.

"Haha Oh..you...hehehehehe..." As Naruto _could_ be interpreted as a fishy additive to Ramen, well, it was priceless. And ever so devious of Crane. I could hear Inoichi taking pictures and sense Ibiki's highly amused self egging him on.

"S-stop it Nee-chan!" Naruto was bright red and scowling even as he swiped his hands over his head trying to catch the little thing.

"Pfft fine..c'mere.." I shook my head still grinning in delight and tossed the fish back into the water before he drowned in the air.

"That was most unyouthful of me! My apologies!" Gai was suddenly in Naruto's face, and my little gaki squealed like a spider was present and shot backwards.

This of course, and entirely genuine, made me laugh more.

Somehow my still at times loudmouthed demon fox in a boy, was then in Gai's face yelling at him. Gai responded with flowery speeches and minor genjutsu effects that seemed to consist of a few firework for emphasis. Neither was listening to the other as they just talked over each other, and at such volume and speed there was no way to figure out what was being said.

After only a few exchanges I was pretty certain not even Naruto knew what he was complaining about, it could have somehow ended up back to Ramen which most of his rants eventually did.

Gai had carefully never told me the sort of opening line he'd decided on to start our...'encounter.' He'd always assured me it was most important my reaction was genuine and I knew he had a different line depending on what the circumstances were, but he had always been eager for it to be at a festival. The second I heard it, I knew why.

))))))))))

Dark eyes locked on to Anrui's form from where he had been posing and ranting at Naruto, and then he affected an expression of being severely upset.

"Oh you're in a men's kimono! How unyouthful! You should be expressing yourself like a lovely and delicate flower all ladies are! No worries I am certain we can find someone to show you what the women's kimono's look like! It's nothing to be ashamed of for being so oblivious despite .."

"I'm in a clan kimono...as is traditional for my family. At least mine _looks_ like it belongs to an adult male rather then one fresh out of swaddling clothes!" Anrui's canines were showing and her yellow gold eyes narrowed. There was a faint growl to her tone, but she was a smaller form to the massive green and orange one.

"Indeed but the colors of Konoha bloom best upon it's Beautiful Green Beast! I can do no less then honor the veridian vibrance that is our homeland! I do not think I recognize your family kimono and I am familiar with all the ninja clans around, you must be a truly fantastic clan to have escaped my notice! I must do seven-" Gai had launched into one of his usual tirades almost instantly but Anrui's voice cut him off, highly irritated.

"I'm not a Shinobi!"

There was a sudden awkward and heavy pause from all the spectators, and indeed it seemed the entire crowd in this part of the festival had eagerly paused to see what new discomfiture the overly enthusiastic ninja would be making. It was always fantastic entertainment.

"Not..a..shinobi?" Gai trailed off and a number of the shinobi around them started to cringe or back away, knowing better. Apparently the shorter blue haired woman snarling up at him had no idea what she was dealing with. Naruto and Ino just looked at each other, completely and utterly confused.

Ibiki and Inoichi were abusing genjutsu to make it seem that they were not cracking up but it was all they could do to muffle their laughter. Of course they appeared with a little genjutsu aid to just be standing there quietly.

Anrui just glared and the silence stretched out.

"How Youthful!" Gai then had both of Anrui's hands in his and proceeded to exclaim over how wonderful and brave she was, how her courage shone so brightly to … as expected no one really listened. Shortly after Gai's usual genjutsu effect, this time with small fireworks going off as he continued, everyone else had gone back to the festival. Awkwardly skirting their perimeter swiftly and trying not to hear the latest nonsense from the overly loud ninja.

"Sneaky." Anrui mumbled softly but she was highly amused. Gai's speech waxed poetic on how she 'hid in plain sight' a 'jewel of Konoha' and then in turns insulted and praised her appearance and lifestyle. Even if someone revisted the spontaneous verbal eruption later they'd not find anything in his speech without knowing precisely what he was speaking of. This of course, was part of Gai's hiding in plain sight method and was quite amusing.

"Whatever! Fine!" Anrui interrupted with a frustrated snarl.

"Wonderful! Then I shall ESCORT YOU!"

"wait...What!? NO! No I do not..! Aarrrgh!"

Naruto had laughed, this time he was the one pointing as Anrui was practically dragged about and instructed in the games as if she was a complete idiot by Gai. At some point, Anrui just gave in and followed him along, grumbling the whole time.

"..They just set a precedent." Ibiki commented idly to Inoichi, highly amused from the display.

"Hm. He'll pester her, make no sense in the process and she'll just 'give in' to get it over with. Of course, being Gai he'll take this the wrong way and suspect she actually has enthusiasm...which makes the entire thing repeat. Brilliant. We need to get him analyzed again." Inoichi chuckled and then smirked at Ibiki.

With such a blatant meeting in the midst of practically all of Konoha, and at such high volume that it was too obvious to be suspect. No one would now think anything of Gai seeking Anrui out. Gai's eccentric behavior was well documented. As for Anrui, the lack of interest shinobi had in drop outs threw them so far underneath the disdain most civilian's received that she was truly without notice.

The months since that festival had at first troubled Naruto as Anrui-chan seemed to have accumulated a stalker all over again. This time he was black of hair and loudmouthed in such a way it made Naruto seem like a Hyuuga in comparison. Over time however, he came to be more appreciative that someone was dragging his big sister figure out of the house while he was studying. After only three months seeing Gai practically scoop up an unsuspecting Anrui and cart her off to whatever entirely random idea he had was as easily ignored by the citizens as his usual practice of running around Konoha a few hundred times backwards, on his hands, or blindfolded.

The fact that Anrui was usually dropped back off, mostly at her house if not from where she'd been abducted a few hours prior, with a disgruntled expression and most the time looking like Gai had used her as an accessory to practice training in muddy or peculiar terrain, and had strange stories, amused Naruto and the pack.

She never had the scent of deceit to her either so Naruto had to be the one assuring his honorary uncles for once that Anrui was not making it up. Tsume had finally allowed Naruto in on the 'puppy training' lessons most Inuzuka received and didn't think to question why his nose was good enough to pick up on such things, as it was still far weaker then Kiba's. Learning to smell when someone was lying had been his favorite skill so far, Not that anyone could really believe she'd been forced to piggyback Gai as he practiced jumping through the trees without using chakra and with one arm and one leg immobilized. Oh, with weights.

She simply left out the part where they'd continued to practice in the middle of their 'abduction'. It had felt fantastic to properly train with Gai regularly and with his help she barely felt even phantom pains from her injuries over a year ago. He was a brutal task master but could stop her right before she over did things, even now. Without their relying on anything more then hand to hand, Gai instructed her in several different forms of Taijutsu and unrelated manuvers that she could use even as a civilian. Their team fighting had become so fluid when working together that Anrui was eager to test it out in a true encounter again.

They would only have a single year after all, before Gai was to take on a genin team. Anrui found she liked Gai just as much as Crane. He wasn't always insanely loud, he did tend towards the silly and rambling but it was because he was just genuinely a happy person who adored _living_ to the fullest. She'd met his turtle summons properly this time around and realized much of Gai's philosophy came from the turtle's carrying their home on their back. In other words, take all you have with you and live to the fullest. It actually aided her to reconnect to some of her earlier memories with her father teaching her how the Ikiryo lived in the 'now' like their wolfish ancestors. Rumor was in their ancient history one of her forefathers had been blood brother to a wolf summon and many of the traits passed down. When he heard that, Gai had asked his turtles to try and send word. Anrui had thanked the turtles, and Gai, profusely. It was a big deal for such a species to seek out predators.

Time in the land of the summons worked differently, and she didn't doubt it would be years before she heard back. Still, it was something to look forward to.

Since her 'friendship' had begun with Gai, Anrui was even more at ease. For one there was no attraction between the two and so none of the awkward behavior that could often plague mixed gender friendships. She was getting regular activity, she had her pack and her little brother figure, and now a new friend that by his very nature demanded she try to expand her limits.

It had the side effect of her being more open and affectionate with Naruto, as by contrast his behavior was positively tame.

"Hey Anrui-chan?" Naruto's soft voice brought her back to the present and she chuffed to let him know she was listening. "I was wondering, um..why don't we..I mean you..have a nin-dog yet?"

"Ah." Anrui let out a soft gentle sigh, feeling the bittersweet memory of all the years she'd gone to see the new pups and then hummed. "I want one. But I want a true ninken. I want a companion, I want that bond, that feeling. I've always..since I was little. Usually at a very young age Inuzuka bond to one, and they grow up together. Every year since I can remember my mother doing so, I was brought to see the new puppies. I've never had one that wanted to be mine."

"Maybe because you're more Ikiryo, you need a wolf?"

"And where would I find a tame wolf?' Anrui chuckled but she just hummed in agreement. "Yeah. I thought of that too. The thing is it's kind of like ..well you found me, remember?" Anrui smiled at how she could feel Naruto bury his face into her shoulder shyly but he nodded.

"You found _me_ Naruto, that is how it should be. You're family, my ninken would be too. If I am so lucky to find one I will, but until then.."

"Some day I will find you the perfect ninken if you don't, I promise Anrui-chan! Dattebayo!"

"Oh I haven't any doubt. You always keep your word."

()()()()()()()

"Hey Naruto-kun.." A faintly nasal voice made Naruto look up from his last question in the library and the blonde found himself giving a foxy grin to the speaker. It was a completely average civilian with shoulder length black hair and black eyes, his clothing all serviceable and comfortable browns which made sense since it wouldn't show dirt as much. Yin was the son of a local pharmacist and had been in training since he was little. He often had paired up with Naruto in the civilian school for group projects as his calm behavior was a good foil to Naruto's enthusiasm. They also were both unafraid of working and Naruto got many of his prank supplies from Yin's dad at a discount in exchange for helping out when they'd have a lot of boxes to inventory.

"Hey Yin-kun, what can I do for you?"

"Ah, you're still using the book on long term income accumulation?" Yin grinned shyly, both were struggling but trying hard, in the financial math elective that had been available. Yin needed to know it for taking over his father's business some day and Naruto nodded.

"Yeah, it's just not sticking..I'm trying to cross reference something that doesn't make sense. You want to sit and join me and we can share?"

"What's got you confused?" Yin happily sat across from him, laying out his own supplies and pulling the coveted book over. Like most civilian topics, or anything that wasn't some form of jutsu it was the only copy and in terrible shape. The Konoha library rarely bothered to get in many things and the local book shops either had lots of random texts like the one that Anrui sometimes took Naruto too which was run by an elderly couple; or else there were stores that only carried the current most popular books. They tended to be somehow geared towards Ninja though and not many ninja seemed to care about logic and organization or anything outside of a mission.

"Well, to be honest the entire idea on interest. My uncle Ibiki didn't get it either, Anrui-nee said most the ninja just spend their checks or stick them in the bank but that's it.."

"Oh, so they're kinda..not making money off it. I guess since they could die any day maybe they aren't good at planning for retirement." Yin just nodded, it wasn't said cruelly as he knew Naruto wanted to be a shinobi, just matter of fact.

"Yeah. So I can't ask and the idea of making money by just sitting there..Anrui-nee says she has her funds managed by someone but no help getting questions answered like that."

"Well lets get what we can out of the books and then we can go ask my parents. You want to stay over for dinner?"

"Dattebayo! Thanks, Yin-kun." Naruto smiled at his friend and both bent back over the books to copy the notes. After all, the next time either came someone else may have the book or it may have gone missing. It happened far too often. Telling a teacher at the civilian school that the library lost the book you needed for your homework was actually a valid excuse, which was sobering in itself.

Neither boy took long to copy the important facts down, especially since Naruto reminded Yin he could simply copy his notes so far and save time. The two took the long way, bringing up the most recent fable in history class and what they thought of it. Yin was good at seeing the subtle messages but was also a hopeless romantic. Naruto always saw the heroic and the obvious but hated anything that was less then a happy ending. Indeed it had become a long standing joke with the teachers and his fellow students that often a tragedy would be turned into something much happier when Naruto handed in the project. As it always summed up the actual assignments before giving his 'better version' he actually tended to get very high marks. Something Yin was always amused by but Naruto was incredibly creative.

"You know the entire _point_ is that it's because the dog sacrificed itself for it's master that it got to be a guardian spirit?" Yin pointed out with a smile.

"Well, yeah, but I think the old guy should have done something. I mean why'd he just stand and watch? Didn't he love his dog? It sounded like it in the rest of the story but then he just let it go! I mean, it's like 'oh you're my best friend we do everything together..okay now I'm not going to bother protesting..'' I'd never do that to you Yin-kun and we've not even known each other a fibbingumthingy as long as the guy in the story had his dog! Dattebayo!"

"A...figgum..?"

"Well yeah they didn't specify time but it sounded really, really, reaaaaallly long!" Naruto grinned over at his laughing friend, completely shameless in his made up word nonsense.

"Only you." Yin shook his head but then paused. "You have a point though. I remember when my book bag broke that I'd been using since first year and it actually felt like I'd been betrayed. And it's just a bag!"

"You still have it don't you Yin-kun?" Naruto said it more as a statement, he knew what his friend was like.

"Yup. I just use it to store other things in in my room."

"So if you can get so attached to something that is inami..in.."

"Inanimate?"

"Thank you! Yes, inan.i..m.."

"In-an-i-mate'' Yin said calmly, not at all upset that his friend was struggling with the word and understanding that Naruto really did want help with the pronunciation. Naruto had become such an avid reader, but didn't often hear some of the terms and so he didn't know how to pronounce them. As such his family and few real friends knew to correct him so he could be helped along. Ino, Yin, and a handful of his older 'student teachers' who had once been older students at the civilian school were in that group.

"Inanimate. Thanks! Anyways, if you could feel so betrayed by an inanimate object when it wore out naturally after years of stress on the fabric and seams then it stands to reason if there had been a dog companion or a cat, or a bird, or a frog because frogs are AWESOME Dattebayo! Anyways, that you wouldn't just stand there and stare and go 'Oh now I am sad.' You'd grab for the strap, you'd protest, you'd do _something!_ " The last bit was punctuated by Naruto turning around to face Yin, arms whirling in circles as he insisted on his logic.

Yin just fell quiet a while and nodded, rethinking the fable they'd heard and seeing it from Naruto's point of view.

"There is one other logical conclusion, Naruto-kun.."

"eh?"

"The person who wrote it was a miserable cranky person who wanted to upset everyone else and make them suffer." Yin only managed a straight face for a little while before both boys were cracking up. Their mirth was short lived.

"Hey Freak!" It was a small group of the kids from the academy and while the two had been laughing, they'd formed a half circle blocking Naruto from going back the way they came. None of them were from his year, but instead were the group two classes ahead, that had just graduated. Plenty of them had seen Naruto try and fail to graduate early. Naruto had been wondering when his harassment would be due.

"Yin..don't draw attention to yourself.." He hissed out, moving so that he was in front of his friend, between the bullies. He was careful to keep his voice too soft for the others to hear and was just grateful that Yin was aware of the trouble Naruto ran into at the academy. The black eyed boy gave a disdainful look at the circling troublemakers and stayed quiet in agreement. Like many, he found Naruto good company in spite of his shinobi goals, but other shinobi were bullies and braggarts abusing the 'might makes right' motto.

The current situation only enforced that belief.

"Hey look it's the little idiot..what's wrong Naru-tard, went and failed the big bad exam..again! When you going to learn you're just a pathetic loser? Ha, you'll never be a genin!" Of course the taller boy adjusted his neck scarf, showing the hitai-ate there rather proudly. The other three with him did the same, but a few of those hanging back a bit glared more at the four with hitai-ate's because they hadn't passed this time either. Naruto snorted.

"Oh wow, real impressive. Such a powerful buncha genin and all..showing off by picking on a kid two years younger? Yeah, I can see why you graduated. They must have been tired of your smell at the academy." Naruto grinned, showing his teeth in a way an Inuzuka would have recognized as feral and a warning. The group around them didn't even pay attention. The girl without a hitai-ate in the back was actually filing her nails! Naruto had his hands relaxed out at his side, but they were ready to curl into the grabs that Ibiki had drilled him on. Dirty vicious methods specialized for getting into and out of bad situations. He let his eyes drift over the group, seeking out which would actually be the most likely to attack. Not the ringleader, no, he liked having someone else be blameable. So likely one of the three with him. The others were there for show, but if it looked like they could get a few good hits in they'd likely do so, just to feel powerful.

It was an important lesson Ibiki and Inoichi had drilled into Ino and Naruto; often times people got hooked on the feeling of being powerful and rather then actually work to improve as their peers did, would pick on the lower groups. It was pathetic. Naruto had to be careful though and hoped they'd just insult him a little more and then leave, because Yin was a very good friend and nice guy but he was _just_ a civilian and happily so. Yin couldn't throw a punch or hope to fend of any jutsu. He had no interest in fighting.

"heh..big words for a little shrimp.."

Really. Naruto wanted to roll his eyes. Were his tormentors so unimaginative on top of everything else? Grumbling as he saw muscles tense Naruto realized it was a bad situation. So many couldn't be handled safely, not without Yin getting hurt. Yin wouldn't just run and leave him there and so that meant since Naruto couldn't out muscle, he needed to out maneuver.

Seeing the wannabe kunoichi in the back filing her nails gave Naruto a wicked idea. "Yin..close your eyes and turn away!" He hissed a whisper, sensitive ears picking up the sounds of his friend doing just that even as the bullies started to laugh about his 'friends with the dorky civilian abandoning him'. Little did they know.

"Sexy no Jutsu!"

The kunoichi dropped her nail file to twitch in disturbed shock, two of the boys passed out. One of them shivered and seemed frozen in place at the sight, the others ..well..were in a tricky situation.

"Helloooo boys!" Naruko giggled, blowing them a little kiss. As soon as their faces turned red enough, the kunoichi in training snapped out of it.

"Perverts!" Predictably since her companions were closer she started to hit them, Naruto didn't know what it was about kunoichi prospects but they were always on the violent side it seemed. As soon as the group was distracted, Naruto dropped the henge and grabbed Yin's arm, taking off at a sprint that his non trained friend could match with a laugh.

"Naruto-kun do I even _want_ to know?"

"Not at all! But hey, anything that works and doesn't cause blood shed right?"

"And that, Naruto-kun.." Yin laughed as they ran. "Is why I can handle the idea of you as a ninja."

"Dattebayo!"

The two slowed into a walk not long after, laughing and exultant in their escape. It also helped Naruto continue his facade of being hopeless in the academy and having Yin so happy he avoided fighting for no good reason was a pleasant bonus. Yin lived in the purely civilian part of town but it was not far from where some of the shinobi related civilians had their homes, so he was well used to the mayhem that unruly shinobi could cause. Especially when so many of them seemed stuck at genin level and liked to take their frustration out on the people nearby. Yin's home was casual and comfortable, not at all traditional and the actual living area was above the shop. It was a pretty normal set up. They didn't enter through the store though, taking a back set of stairs right into the living area and surprising Yin's mother.

"I'm home! I brought Naruto-kun with me!" Yin called, both boys dropping their book bags and shoes at the door. Naruto was a visitor often enough he had his own cute frog slippers to go with Yin's preferred pig ones. Not for the first time, Naruto made a mental note that he needed to get a pair like that for Ino at his own home. She'd hit him hard for it, but he bet she'd love them.

"Welcome home boys, I'm in the kitchen. Wash your hands and join me." Yin's mother was a classic beauty, all long dark hair that she kept pulled back, her eyes were a soft brown and her skin was tanned enough she'd never be mistaken for nobility. She was one of the shorter women Naruto had ever met and pleasantly plump so that when she handed out hugs it felt safe and motherly. Unlike Anrui who tended to be a bit hard and muscle and bone most everywhere. After both boys had washed up they entered the kitchen, if it could be called that. Due to the pharmacy down below there was actually two sinks and stoves in their kitchen with lots of counter space. It likely had once been a second smaller bedroom that had been knocked out for space to add to the kitchen. Yin's room was up in the attic, with a small living area that suited the family just fine. They'd often be in the garden or down in the shop anyways. The second stove was without an oven, currently had a number of things going on. From the smell they were distilling rose water again, as well as boiling a few teas that would be made into salves. One entire counter was lined with jars and bottles awaiting use. At the proper food making side of the kitchen, Yin's mother was finishing up a vegetable and chicken soup that she wordlessly spooned out for them to sit at the table with.

Chirping out their thanks the boys dug in as the woman headed to give a bowl to her husband down stairs. It was such a normal occurrence it didn't even make Naruto blink anymore, though the first time he'd been in the Gumo household he'd been stunned at how they treated him. Apparently Yin wasn't good at making friends, too book smart and shy. Yin's parents hadn't even been upset that he was going to be 'one of those dreadful rude ninja's' that they often spoke of. Instead they'd just insisted he be careful and try to not get too hurt.

Privately, Naruto had started to see why it was Anrui had wanted him to get to know the civilians when he was tiny. As much as he seriously loved his Uncles and Ino, there was just something..special..about these people. They weren't warriors with weapons and jutsu's but he learned so much from them. To them he was just Naruto, and never got the strange glares from nowhere. In a way, he understood why Anrui felt like after she failed the academy tests for the last time, she had no place in Konoha besides her pack.

She'd found though that the citizen's without shinobi ties valued hard work and moral's, the later often missing by sheer necessity of what ninja's were often called to do. Naruto had decided, after many a long night he had been permitted to sleep over, sharing a futon with Yin in the living room as Mr. Gumo had read to them stories of philosophers and men of great deeds, women of true compassion. Mrs. Gumo would often repeat stories from her childhood, set back in the great shinobi war before Konoha was found where the ninja destroyed the lands around them along with each other. In these stories though were tails of farmers and weavers, trappers and hunters, explorers and healers. Of people who worked pottery and wove reeds, caught fish and stitched the garments. Everyday people who would never be memorialized on a mountain. These people had stories of love and loss, of honor and redemption.

It was what made Naruto one night, filled with a quiet and serious sort of determination had pledged he'd try to be a ninja that did the _right thing_ not just the right way to finish the mission. He'd pledged it there, to the Gumo family.

That was the night after when his own slippers had been added to the family ones. Mrs. Gumo had apparently had a long talk over tea with Anrui, the two got along fantastically well being both the practical sort. Naruto could even boast he'd made his nee-chan a friend as they hadn't known each other before Yin and Naruto started spending time together. So his gama-chan slippers made an appearance at home too. Yin had come over once or twice, but due to the Inuzuka clan often wandering about on the way to Anrui's home, and their massive ninken, didn't really enjoy it. Neither Naruto nor Anrui had taken offense, and sometimes when Anrui would swing by to pick him up at the end of school, she'd take Yin with them to go get dango or ice cream.

"Let's go see if my dad can explain the assignment huh?" Yin said after they put their dishes beside the sink, already rinsed and Naruto nodded.

"Sooner we're done, the sooner we can see if he'll let us play with that salt pewter again.."

Both boys skipped down, Naruto lighter on his feet and though he'd seem a clumsy oaf compared to many of his academy year mates, next to Yin he may as well have not made a sound.

"tou-san!"

"Yes Yin?" Mr. Gumo looked over from where he'd been making notes, no sign of his wife anywhere which meant she'd likely gone out shopping.

"Do you have a minute Gumo-san? Yin-kun and I are struggling on a part of the assignment this week and the only book the library had isn't a lot of help.." Naruto was used to taking initiative, Yin just seemed content to let Naruto do the talking and only stepped in to correct or smooth things over.

"Oh? I remember Tamahome-sensei said he was going to be working on compound interest.."

The two blank and frustrated expressions made Mr. Gumo laugh.

"All right boys..come find a spot to sit and I'll try to explain.."

()()()()()()()

As it turned out after nearly the entire week the boys understood the subject enough to boil it down to 'it's a good thing'. The details could be recited correctly but without comprehension as it seemed neither had a head for complex wooly figures. The result of the lesson was Tamahome-sensei taking his class to the Konoha civilian's bank and opening accounts for all of them to start putting their allowances and the like in. Naruto had a discussion with Tamahome-sensei privately after school one day and decided he was likely going to keep his future funds there too, as they actually did more then just hold onto the amounts. Most Ninja desired constant liquid assets to take advantage of but it was hardly more profitable then stashing it into ones mattress. Instead, the civilian bank had the option to constantly be investing with people that studied the options professionally. He could steer his own investments a little as he got older, but for now since he didn't need much to cover his daily needs and the rare special item he decided to let his money work for him. After all, the stipend he was given as an orphan for room and board when he left the orphanage was hardly being used by Anrui, and even then it was often a great deal left over.

Naruto still pranked his teacher for making him learn such horribly boring stuff, even if it was useful. Tamahome seemed to take the assault in stride.

Then again, no one was quite certain _how_ Naruto had filled the classroom with frogs..

()()()()()()

"Narutooooo!" Ino called out just as she glomped her blonde friend from behind.

"ACH!" Naruto had been unprepared and went face first into the ground, though he was just chuckling as Ino rolled off him, hands on her hips and grinning proudly at catching him off guard. "You win again, Ino-chan. What can I do for you oh beautiful flower of Konoha?" Yeah, so he'd totally swiped the creepy dude in Green who kept visiting Anrui's title. It worked.

"Worship me, tell me I'm amazing..you did already tell me I'm beautiful.." Ino was counting off on her fingers and then she looked up at him with a coy smile that would one day be devastating, but at their age was closer to constipated.

"Uh huh..annnnd?" Naruto just grinned, having rolled onto his side as he waited for Ino's real reason for tackling him into the ground. At least they were in the Yamanaka compound's gardens where he had been trying to work on meditation that for some reason Uncle Inoichi was always insisting on.

Ino tossed her long blonde hair and grinned at him. "I need to work more on the family jutsu."

"You know it's freaky seeing you just fall down right?" Naruto said frowning, he really did worry Ino would get hurt. "Can you do it from a laying down position? Could we try that so all that happens is your arms drop rather then your whole self? If you could figure that out.." Naruto starting getting his Ibiki scheming expression and tapped a finger against his lip, eyes staring off at something. Very likely Ino knew, he was literally picturing potential ways to use such a skill if she could pull it off. "That'd mean you could be wedged into a corner, you could pretend to be a sleeping drunk in places later on and no one would know, you could be perched on your belly from a roof top..the options are a lot better.."

"Well let's see!"

As it turned out, she could but her control and 'aim' was horrible. Still, Naruto started working with her on it and they tried her being on her side, her back, and her stomach as well as sitting up propped against a bench. Before long Ino could make the family jutsu stick for an entire minute but it seemed that if she lost eye contact with her body it was harder that way. It was a strange side effect.

"Let's not tell daddy yet.." Ino said, leaning into Naruto's side exhausted as they watched the sunset from the garden.

"Kay."

Naruto didn't even ask why. Ino knew if he thought there was a danger he'd tell anyways later, but he was completely fine listening to her for this. It was her body, her jutsu after all.

"Hey Naruto?"

"Ah?" Naruto looked over at her with a soft smile.

"Just wanted to remind you you're my favorite minion."

Naruto chuckled and nodded, happy enough with that. After all, that was bossy Ino for 'you're my best friend.'

"What no ravishing praise for your boss? Ugh.." Ino ranted but it was playful.

Naruto just tugged very gently on her ponytail with a content grin. He had Yin and Ino, and Kiba and Hana. He had his Uncle's Inoichi and Ibiki, and a semi aunt in Mrs. Gumo and Rei, Ino's mother. Mr. Gumo and Tamahome-sensei were happy to spend time with him. Anrui was his big sister.

He'd come a long way from the hungry and lonely little boy. Nothing would make Naruto forget those days though, he didn't want to forget just how much his precious people had done for him.

"You're the prettiest girl in our school." Naruto said instead, and Ino mellowed out.

"And the civilian school?"

"Absolutely."

"Only in school?"

"Can't make Rei-san or Mrs. Gumo or..Anrui-nee-chan made yanno..."

"Oh fine. But outside of the adults?"

"You're definitely the prettiest girl, Ino-chan. What brought that on?" Naruto looked over, Ino was currently a little taller than Naruto but that was apparently normal for their ages.

"Just..in the flower arrangement classes today.." Ino sighed and Naruto just tilted his head to listen. He may not be taking the specialized girl's classes in the academy but Ino had been drilling him on flowers and their meanings, as well as some of the subtle things she learned so he could help her. Naruto was probably the only boy their age who knew how to put up a girl's hair correctly but Rei-san had taken a lot of time to teach him. The Yamanaka clan was very funny about their hair, it was kind of the way Anrui was really, where you had to be family or pack or a very close friend.

"Okay, what happened? Did Ami go and ruin your arrangement again? Or was it Minako? I know last time she stole some of your flowers .." it seemed silly but a lot of the girl's lessons were more to blend in and be able to portray ladies of high class families. They could even use blooms to send messages so why Naruto and the other boys weren't learning the flower language didn't make a lot of sense to him. After all, send or leave flowers in your room and you'd tell the team what they needed to know. Especially because there wasn't just one language, there were many. Ino had been working on developing her own apart from what the common beliefs were based on her own floral preferences.

"No, it just.." Ino pouted at him. "It was about boys."

"Oh." Naruto made a face. "Sasuke?"

"Well yeah..I mean, I know you don't get it but.."

"No, I get it. I really do I mean I have no idea why I like Sakura-chan so much but.." Naruto nodded at Ino. "Just remember we're kids..and you really are too good for the likes of him. You know he never smiles unless it's because someone else is unhappy and you like to make others happy."

"I.." Ino smiled then and nodded, Naruto wasn't judging her just trying to keep her from obsessing. "thanks, Naruto. Can I go on about how great Sasuke is anyways?"

Naruto groaned and flopped onto his back. He hated hearing about how cool Sasuke was and how 'his eyes are so dark they're like ..the night. Only without stars' and similar crazy things. After all Yin had black hair and eyes and he wasn't an Uchiha. Black hair and eyes was _common_ but according to the village there was just 'something' about the Uchiha that made that all set apart. Personally Naruto thought the clan likely had all needed more fiber in their diet but, for Ino?

"go ahead.."

Sighing Naruto looked up at the slowly darkening sky as Ino squealed to herself and talked about how amazing Sasuke was.

...that girl needed a new hobby.


	11. Fluff and Filler

AN: recently my job lost their lease so I have been panicking and seeking a new one before it's too late. Wish me luck.

And enjoy. I am very glad you are all seeming supportive of the family aspect of this story, and Ino and Naruto being friends. There is a poll for WAY in the future regarding a relationship of the romantic sort for Naruto. I admit I toyed with the idea of one for Anrui but nothing seemed to fit. Consider this a filler chapter of ideas. Much cuteness. Serious starts with the next chapter so enjoy the fluff.

()()()()()

"Here.." Inoichi spoke softly, hands guiding Ino so her fingers gently weaved through the long blue hair with a brindled pattern. Her fingers trembling ever so slightly as her father started to teach her how to properly tend to the long wild hair that truly did have a different texture to it, almost like coarse wild fur and the under silky layers of a softer undercoat. It was a huge moment for Ino.

Anrui held still, head tilted back as she was resting in Ibiki's lap with his arm supporting her neck to make it easier, her own fingers carding through Naruto's hair as he had his own head on her lap, his arm flung over Ibiki's legs. His free hand was gently reaching to hold onto Ino's ankle in a sign of support.

"Unlike when we do the Yamanaka style, the Ikiryo pattern means you have to go with the natural direction of the hairs. You see how each section seems to do something slightly different? You coil it about your finger as you ease it free of tangles. Except for rare occasions, we always do this by hand. Touch, is trust." Inoichi continued to explain. His voice was soothing for the packmates, Anrui's eyes closed as her breathing was soft and even. From his place across her leg, ear right by a major artery, hand flung over Ibiki's legs to feel the same, Naruto was able to notice how the two were breathing in sync. Their heartbeats matched.

From experience Naruto knew Inoichi's would be doing the same.

"Very good..now here..unseen..we braid. At the base of the neck, one piece along the entire skull..this is never undone outside of emergency reasons, and is constant proof and reminder that there is pack. I have one in the middle of mine to hide in my pony tail, when you've proven yourself in battle you'll get one too Ino, Naruto.."

Naruto smiled up at Inoichi, but he knew both the blondes working through Anrui's hair so slowly and carefully were completely focused. He remembered when Inoichi coached him through this process years ago. How grateful he had been when Anrui had ended up in the hospital a few years ago, that he knew what to do that would be a familiar ritual and bring comfort.

Ibiki often said he missed being able to have his own hair played with and tended to but the torture he had gone through made it impossible. Instead he wore around his neck a long braid, the top half was a normal silver chain so that what showed looked like just a regular necklace. Once safely under the shirt level though, it began to twist into an intricate braid of blonde, silver, and blue hairs. He'd said when Ino and Naruto were old enough he'd add a bracelet to symbolize them.

This was an Ikiryo ritual, tending to each other. Every clan had their own strange things, this just was around hair. There were far more intricate rituals of course, and Naruto and Ino had both been treated to hot oil and scalp treatments, many times this year. Those, Ibiki was shameless about enjoying. The very fact that Anrui was submitting to Ino's careful, but still clumsy and sometimes pulling on accident, tending of her own hair was a big symbolic step. They were being acknowledged as pack, just needing their first 'kill' sad as it was to say, to go from pups to adolescent young hunters. At least once a month when possible, the packmates would gather and take care of each other. If one was off on a mission, the others did so and made up for it upon their return. It was soothing, familiar.

That it was also good for their hair and psyche was just a pleasant bonus. Rei, Ino's mother, was still not pack. It was very likely she never would be, but Naruto was like Anrui's little brother, and Ino was Inoichi's pup. Ino could growl quite well now though she'd likely never be able to handle any of the communications that Naruto could. Still, Ino could talk decently now as far as the Inuzuka were concerned. So few ever learned scent and bodylanguage was telling as much as pitch. To any with canine senses it was an entire language that everyone else appeared to be toddlers with. No wonder they were so sharp and brash to the others, they could usually tell what was being wrapped up in silken promises and empty words.

It was a set of skills that had proven invaluable to Inoichi when using his jutsu for infiltration, and was ecstatic Ino had taken it seriously. Naruto was still teaching her what he learned, it was after all, one of the best ways to be certain you understood something.

"Beautifully done, Ino-chan.." Inoichi praised, then showed Ino how to handle the upper layers. The hair was coarser there, spikey, like the ruff of a wolf's hackles being raised. "It doesn't seem to make sense because her hair is straight, but you want to twist it as if trying to make it curl..sweep your fingers..yes.." Inoichi continued to guide her, and Naruto twisted his head to gaze up at Anrui.

The best part of this? Anrui had suggested it.

Although what she had meant by 'clearly Ino is Naruto's beta so it's permanently a part of things' hadn't really been obvious but it meant something to Ibiki and Inoichi. Naruto had even been permitted to be the one to tell Ino. She'd all but flung herself at him, at the Academy still no less, and was shrieking delightedly.

Coincidentally there was some funny rumors about them now. Naruto was having a lot of fun with it, Ino was having fun denying them in creative ways. Trying to convince a lot of 11 to 11 and precisely one half, don't forget that half! Year olds that they really weren't getting married as soon as they graduated was kind of impossible.

Even wannabe shinobi were crazy.

When Ino finished, Naruto insisted on doing her hair. The Yamanaka hair rituals were more having to do with wearing it up and how you cut it for boys vs girls around the face. Ino adored her hair being brushed but Naruto wanted to do it the Ikiryo way. As he gently, having lots of practice, worked his own chubby fingers through Ino's blonde hair as she rested her head on his lap, he spoke to her.

Occasionally the flashes from Inoichi's camera would go off. Everyone pretended nothing was happening.

"You know, I know you like Sasuke and all but wouldn't that just make the whole 'forbidden' thing more appealing to him? If he thinks you're with me and all? Besides like I have said for a _year_ Ino-chan! A whole huge long yeaaaaar, you deserve better. You like people happy."

"So do you Naru-kun." Ino's voice was muffled, her cheek on his shin, one hand tucked up under her chin but the other was holding his foot. They'd both gotten a bit hooked on physical contact with their family being so touchy feely in private. Out in public it was all very proper and distant, but in private Ibiki, Inoichi, Anrui..they were always in contact somehow. They'd roped the little ones into it too. Even now as the three adults observed them, drinking tea and conversing casually, Inoichi had his feet on Ibiki's legs as they sat on the couch. Anrui had her head on Ibiki's shoulder, Ibiki had his mock 'why am I surrounded by these idiots' expression on if it wasn't for the fact he kept slipping into a smile. There was no such thing as privacy around the T&I members so Ino and Naruto had long gotten used to talking infront of them. Every so often, admittedly when not cuddling, Anrui would throw something at one of them.

And Ibiki still tried to poison them.

Ino tried to take over minds.

Naruto pranked.

Inoichi took pictures of all the blackmail photo's _and_ messed with your minds.

But pack time was off limits.

"Say, Naru-kun?"

"Yeah Ino-chan?"

There was a long pause, Anrui nudged the others and they carefully paid attention.

"I..when we're older, if I don't find anyone you approve of..you promise to let me know? Even if I don't wanna believe you.."

"Of course Ino-chan. I won't let anyone be mean to you. Dattebayo! You're precious to me! You're my best friend you know!"

Ino giggled and turned a bit, ignoring Naruto's squawk at messing up her hair. "Yeah. You too Naruto."

"Oh come on Ino! Can't you call me your friend? It's always you too, or yeah, or minion or.."

"You're my _best_ friend." Ino grinned at the baffled but exhilarated expression on the other blonde and turned her face back so he could finish with her hair. "We're pack after all!"

"YEAH!"

()()()()

I chuckled softly and resumed sipping my tea, spiked this time with alcohol and not poison. Ibiki was in a good mood. "They're cute."

"I'm glad he's looking out for her." Inoichi said calmly. We both knew what he meant. Maybe someone else would have jumped to conclusions but we three were proof you could be mixed gender friendships and not cross that line. Heck, look at my relationship with Gai! We were only more acknowledged by the village as Gai was clearly wasting his time on the shinobi drop out the majority of the ninja thought of me as. I may have shamelessly used him to help fix up the houses and work for my civilian friends who couldn't afford even the D rank missions. It meant Gai had a few people that in the civilian sector were quite willing to ensure he got hot food and someone to tell stories too. I did try not to laugh at how there were a few very old men and women who had elaborate made up stories that he'd even been going to for speech inspirations. Big fish tales were popular after all.

"they're pack. It'll be good for Ino." I said calmly, sensing my packmates agreement. Oh true Naruto and Ino were pack too, but my brothers were _Pack_. There was always going to be a distinction. Rather, the pups would be their own pack but still under our protection. "Wonder whom else they'll drag in over time.."

"Kiba?"

"Mm. Not likely." Ibiki answered that one. He was very close to Naruto after all, the two spent almost more time together then I did with the gaki most days. "Kiba is a good friend but he's a dog, Naruto is a fox. They'd always bicker."

"Alpha's need those who aren't hesitant to challenge.." I pointed out, giving a amber eyed look to Ibiki. He was my beta most of all, even if he shared it with Inoichi. It was Ibiki who would challenge me, argue, snap and snarl for lack of a better term whereas Inoichi would back down. Ibiki would have been a lone wolf so to speak, without the two of us. "Kiba would be good but.." I sighed and shrugged. Technically Kiba was a cousin or a nephew or something. He was clan, more serious distinction we left to the uppity clans. "He'll need someone with more intelligence. He argues points with you, Ibiki, and you and Inoichi are always teaching him to think in complicated ways. Naruto needs someone who challenges him to grow."

"Who do you think out of his yearmates then?" Inoichi asked.

I shrugged. "I don't know them well enough. I can say I wouldn't be surprised if Gumo Yin ends up as part of Naruto's pack. I had a few civilian's in mine.." I trailed off. They hadn't been true pack as I'd been young but they'd been going there. I would have shared the truth of my not so ninja status to my civilian packmates in time. They would have been. If the Kyuubi hadn't killed them. There had been a number of them, I wasn't so particular and I had a few close friends in the civilian's that I was slowly opening up to. Over time I'd let their names and memories fade. Gai was teaching me anew to live only in the present and it was what I should be doing as Ikiryo. Our wild minds were fey to even the Inuzuka cousins I had, for all that I was technically half. It was a wild natural state I would tap into when fighting, it was dangerous as few other things were. People tended to forget that predators weren't always brute strength, many were clever and crafty.

Naruto someday..when he learned of his fox, I would teach my way. I couldn't until he could tap into that feral aggression. Someday. Hopefully he'd believe me when that day came that I had done all of this because I wanted to, because he'd snuck his little stupidly grinning too sweet self into my heart and promptly claimed it for his own. I didn't have any doubt that if I had been older, I would see Naruto as my own son. Instead he was my brother, and so insanely precious to me that if I tried to explain it any way other then it was my instincts and so it didn't need to make human sense, I couldn't. It was part of why I made so certain Naruto knew my instincts, my sounds and actions and the like, could not be faked. I didn't want the Someday to make him doubt he'd been loved.

Even when we didn't admit to it.

The gaki just could do his puppy eye look and you'd cave to what he wanted. Or these days, his sexy jutsu which I still thought was one of the best ideas ever. He'd been working on variations of it so he would not always be traced back to him. It really was a fantastic distraction ploy. Luckily the clever boy had left whisps of clouds covering the important parts. Mainly, and I still chuckle thinking of why when Ibiki asked him 'I dunno what it's supposed to look like under a bikini!'

Yeah. We told him he could find out when he was 18. He turned so red and ran off..

"Psst.." Inoichi gestured, taking another photo without the flash.

Ino had fallen asleep on naruto's lap. He just kept playing with her hair, completely at ease. It wasn't like they didn't do this all the time after all.

"I wonder if we looked like that?" Ibiki murmered. I glanced over at him and smiled.

"I seem to remember an older boy with silver hair falling asleep in my lap..often.."

Ibiki smiled back fondly and nodded.

()()()()()

Naruto was scowling as he tapped his foot. He couldn't believe he had been talked into this. It really was not fair. Sure it was September and the 23rd on top of that but..but..

Torture. He was almost twelve. He was so not ready for this.

"Do I have to?" Naruto looked up at Ibiki with a twitching eyebrow. Ibiki just nodded, completely solemn.

"You do, Naruto. It is important to never go back on your word, and all men must endure this at least once in their lifetime, often, depending on your choices, it may be many more times. It is important to keep that in mind, so that from now on you are prepared. As it is, because you did not consider the potential consequences to your lack of action..I cannot get you out of this."

"But..Anrui-nee.."

"Was hardly feeling sympathetic to your plight when I explained the circumstances. You'll find no quarter from Inoichi either, you failed to plan for this eventuality Naruto. That is all."

"But..if I had a week..or even a few hours..come on Ibiki.."

"No."

"Twenty minutes!?"

"You couldn't possibly be prepared in that short amount of time."

"I.." Naruto made a frustrated sound and slammed the heels of his hands over his eyes, whining wordlessly and dancing from foot to foot in a stomping motion. "It..It's not fair! I didn't..I just..I didn't realize it was THAT day!"

"You've known this was coming Naruto." Ibiki wasn't trying to sound cold, but really. He put all this time and work into helping his little protege learn to be prepared and yet despite advance notice he kept forgetting to not rely on others for reminders about important things. He needed to learn to keep track of days and events. Especially ones like this.

"I wouldn't have done it If .."

"It's too late for that now." Ibiki placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder to keep him from running off. His serious blank expression in place so that he wouldn't be tempted to give in to the blue eyes and trembling pout next to him. It wasn't up to him in the end, Naruto had agreed to submit himself to this when asked and it was his own fault to not take into consideration the manipulation of the one asking. He'd now get his due.

Knocking twice Ibiki waited, grip firm on Naruto with a tiny pulsing chakra preventing the slippery fox container from escaping by ninja methods. Before long the door opened and Inoichi stood there. His blue eyes just as shuttered and guarded as Ibiki's.

"...You actually have the guts to go through with this..you're a brave kid Naruto."

"Man. I think considering everything Inoichi, for today at the least we can consider Naruto a man."

The little praise did nothing to stop Naruto's shivering form, if anything it increased. Inoichi just nodded and sighed, stepping aside with a heavy shuffle that was actually audible. It was the equivalent of an announcement.

"Inoichi? Who is it now? I thought we had all the ones that were due today.." The voice was snappish, frustrated. An older woman's. One of the elder Yamanaka's. Ibiki gulped and felt Naruto shudder alongside him.

"Uzumaki, Naruto. He's late."

"NARUTO!"

A wailing Ino slammed into him, even as Ibiki closed the door with a loud 'click' ensuring he couldn't leave now. Upset at seeing Ino so unhappy, and dreading finding out just what had put her in such a state he wasted no time to clamp his arms around her, cooing softly. "hey, Hey Ino-chan..I'm here. I'm sorry..I.."

"Where were you? I've been waiting..and without you they..they started! You weren't here!" Each statement was punctuated with a hit of her hand, softly.

Naruto groaned. "Hiding. I'm sorry I don't want you hurt and all but..I..going through this..I .."

"Finally realized what you'd agreed to?" Ino frowned at him, figuring it out. Naruto just nodded with a sigh, giving a weak scared smile.

"I'm here now though.."

"Well then it's your turn!" Suddenly Ino was all dangerous smiles and dragged him to the other room.

Ibiki and Inoichi shared a look, and then escaped out the nearest open window. They weren't going to stick around for a girl's slumber party after all on Ino's birthday.

Especially when Naruto had forgotten a birthday present.


	12. A disaster averted, another begun

AN: Job hunting still is delaying my updates, work is highly stressful to be without when you still have bills to pay and I only get partial gigs. Adulting. Fun.

Also glad you all seemed to like the ending to the last chapter.

()()()()()

Naruto could be _clever_.

Case in point, when surrounded by giggling girls and at a birthday party for his _best friend_ whom he had no gift for; Naruto stepped up to the occasion. His brain was a mess of sheer genius but only when put on the spot. Within seconds his blue eyes had narrowed and then flared their pupils, the only tell he had when his brain had just ran through and discarded multiple scenario's. They were ranged from the truly ridiculous and fantastical to the pitiful. Yet, it was within the mess of ideas that the perfect one was found. The solution.

Salvation.

The best part was it was a sort of prank and revenge at the same time, on behalf of his Ino-chan. Though Ino flittered from girl to girl, accepting faint praise and beaming with confidence it was Naruto who knew how she truly felt. That she was entirely aware of the false friends she was entirely swarmed with at this otherwise all girl event. It was the true reason that Naruto had been invited. Oh he was likely going to suffer and be 'prettified' and have to pamper the girls and be teased for ages in return. He knew however, that it would set Ino-chan at ease to have him there. Someone who knew her. Someone who was _pack._ It was very easy to grasp the difference right then. As children, female squealing children, fluttered to the sudden low calorie snacks and chocolate treats (logic. It did NOT apply at parties) he met the gaze of his friend.

Ino deserved to shock them for once. Just for a moment, to shed the persona she crafted and truly bask in the limelight long beyond a single day. Naruto wanted her to set the giggling gossipy masses ablaze with jealousy.

Ino was so much better than the other children who went to the ninja academy.

The idea grew and his fox grin came out, though mostly repressed. His eyes danced and he held out his hand, low, not so obvious. Ino's gaze locked and she 'pushed' at him with a lesser family jutsu. It wasn't very useful as the parties on both end had to trust each other to pass messages and true trust was hard to obtain. Naruto and Ino spent hours though with her taking over his body and the menal intrusion was easy for them now. It only enhanced how they understood the idea of Pack that their elder trio had.

'We have to sneak out for your present Ino-chan.'

"Why!?" Ino's voice wasn't fuzzy like his when she spoke mentally, and Naruto just smirked.

'Cuz you're a ninja.' Naruto never called her a kunoichi, she may be a girl but she deserved to be judged fully in her own merit not just against her gender. He'd had a looooooong lecture on that from Ino and never forgotten it. 'A super special ninja an we are gonna sneak out for your gift to show off.'

The sudden brilliance of Ino's smile was only matched by the grip of her fingers twining through his. 'After you, Naruto-kun~'

Naruto glanced in a few directions before deciding the easiest way to escape was actually right out the front door. People tended to use windows or back doors in ninja life, and Naruto had come to the same observation Anrui had taught him. Civilian and normal ways of doing things tended to be overlooked. Entirely.

Quietly he helped Ino through the door, closing it silently before pulling her along. Ino was smart enough to not ask questions, though the longer they walked, and the further from the usual parts of town she was familiar with, the more curious she was. Still Ino was fully aware that where Naruto was concerned it was best to just let him direct the ideas. When he was not playing bumbling academy student it was always to ones advantage to let him just accomplish what he felt was necessary.

It wasn't too much longer before Naruto was tugging her into a civilian barber shop with a beaming smile. "Hey scissors man!" He laughed out, not giving away the name of the owner. Ino could find that out on her own but he was not going to betray the trust the civilian's had for him. Not even for Ino. They didn't like Ninja and while Naruto was known to them and different, she was as clearly a clan brat as they came. Still, he knew his big blue eyes and puppy pout would work wonders here. He sat Ino down in the chair, and ran over to whisper in the barber's ear.

Thankfully Ino knew to trust him, as curious as she was.

"I promise to run errands for you for a week, but Ino-chan is special to me and it's her birthday. I was thinking..purple. Like what I do?"

The older man smiled and nodded. Naruto never asked for favors, not since being bribed with dye in his hair had made his grades at both schools go crazy. Admittedly only the grades in the civilian school reflected the efforts, but he had it on sworn authority from Anrui that his poor grades was a sort of massive test and prank on the ninja's. Naruto had spoken of Ino plenty enough times and he knew that the kid had mentioned Ino was jealous he got to dye his hair. Like many children, her parents had likely forbidden it. There was something to smirk at too, if he got to do the Yamanaka girl's hair. Especially if it was likely to upset a powerful ninja that could do nothing about it.

"We'll work that out later.." Instead he walked over and smiled at her "Well, as a friend of Naruto's..for your birthday gift I think a single stripe..under side would show in the pony tail or we could do a larger one across your bangs, if you want to adjust your part a little.."

Ino's eyes widened and she let out a gasp. Her lighter blue eyes locked onto a beaming Naruto and Ino laughed. "Please! That sounds fantastic!" She knew at that moment that this was one of Naruto's hair brained spur of the moment schemes. She could hardly complain though as Ino knew full well that was often when he worked best.

And it meant she got to dye her hair even though her parents forbid it!

Lucky!

()()()()()()()()()()()

In the end, Ino got a tiny little purple streak in the midst of her bangs, and the one on the underside of her hair. She'd then had her hair washed and blow dried. All in all Ino was absolutely delighted and after primping in the mirror, her eyes slid sideways to Naruto.

"I know you forgot my birthday gift."

"I didn't forget Ino-chan. You're just hard to shop for. Really shop for. I didn't see anything that was right." Naruto huffed and kicked the ground, before giving her a shy little smile. "We're okay though?"

Ino nodded, taking Naruto's arm to drag him back to her party. After thanking the man who made her feel so pretty, of course. "I'm still making you get makeup and paint your nails."

"Make sure I get a facial too and I'll forgive you. And you know..no one else is touching the hair." The last bit was said darkly, but Ino just nodded. It was a pack thing. She could have her hair done, but not just casually played with. It was also Naruto's way of reminding her not to let the other girls do anything to her hair.

"It's a good thing I just had it done and wouldn't want it messed up then, isn't it?"

Naruto fell into a contemplative silence. One that lasted right until he was opening the door for her, back at her house. "So if I got you pampered like this every year?"

"I'd totally go for that."

"Why does everyone say shopping for girls is hard then? I just have to let you tell me what you want."

"Shh. You're not supposed to give away our secret." Ino said with a fake spooky voice and Naruto snickered, following her in.

They managed to brush off questions of where they had been easily, and Ino was soon the center of a crowd turning various shades from Puce to Emerald over her lovely hair. Naruto could feel her mother's dark look, but ignored it. He knew deep down she was proud of him.

Naruto didn't really mind the girly parts of the party either. When they gave Ino her presents, she found some way to reference her new hair color accessory to every item. She flicked her hair constantly and Naruto just smiled. He enjoyed seeing her feel the envy of the room, it made Ino happy.

The actual facials and nail parts weren't bad either. He just asked for orange or blue polish, had a couple of the girls show him how to properly do all the steps and quite frankly the whole hand and foot rub was _nice._ Really, why shouldn't he like that? He even had fun with getting his face covered in goop as it was a mud mask that didn't smell bad, just like funny cucumbers and seeing them all in towels over their hair and green faces was kind of hilarious. The best part was the girls were being utterly uncute because they had proof Naruto would never tell on them. Not unless he wanted it known he was at a girl's makeover.

Any remaining crush he had on Sakura, sadly, blew even stronger when he learned she could burp out haiku's. Seriously. That was cool.

()()()()()()()()()()()

It was the morning of Naruto's big exam at the academy, this time he fully intended to pass. Though he still struggled with creating clones it was common for instructors to allow the students to get by anyways. The grandest twist of irony was it was his biggest supporter in the school who may have been his biggest obstacle. Because of his emotions interfering with typical protocol, Iruka was likely to hold Naruto back yet again.

It happened usually if someone was far too fond of a student and wished to keep them out of the dangers that shinobi life entailed for a little longer.

Ibiki and Inoichi had trained the blonde troublemaker far too well for him to be oblivious to this fact so he was fully prepared with examples of all the previous tests he had failed. In each of them he had figured out how to gather information on what lee way had been given to all other students and even made it a concise argument for if he failed all three of them. He had examples of students who had done so and yet gained their forehead protectors to go on and apprentice or do smaller work until they progressed into a team. It was just as often a path the worst of the qualified took as it was the prodigies. It was highly unlikely he wouldn't pass though, aside from his clones Naruto was far better than he had ever let on in school.

His Taijutsu was fantastic, he used grips and techniques I had taught him. Maneuver's that were graceful and evasive. Yet, where I had used them to deflect an opponent into my partner (crane) or set them off balance before going rather savage on them as I had in my youth, Naruto had another method. He set them off balance, got them closer to administer his flurry of blows and then got far away to set up for another attack. He was slowly learning ninjutsu and made up for his lifelong lack of genjutsu abilities with some highly creative ninjutsu which would set them up for his taijutsu attacks. He was a one man army, a tank of devastation wrapped in a tiny bright package.

He was also absolutely destroyed with nerves.

Huffing I finally lost patience with his running around muttering impossible scenarios and pulled him into my arms tightly. My cheek resting on his head as he was in my lap. Ever so slowly, he turned his face into my neck and went boneless.

"No matter what Naruto, I am endlessly proud of you for how far you have come." My voice was low and raspy. I meant it, and I felt him sigh against my skin.

"thanks."

"..." It was only a moment, but I figured it was words he needed to hear right then. "...I love you."

The gaki had a strong hold. His arms went about me, tight, and I felt his trembling. His eyes were dry however, as he had known I loved him for years now. I just never said it. I was a woman of action from a clan of action, words were accessories to us. It was in our tones, our movements, our scents. That I said it aloud told him far more then it would another who wasn't pack. I was promising no matter what that he could not be loved any less than currently and he just nodded. When finally Naruto pulled back, he had his foxy grin.

"I love you more." Came the sly little tone, disguising he was embarassed even as his whole face was pink. Chuckling I just set him down, tilting my head.

I wasn't going to argue with him. I was certain I was smiling as broadly as Gai did himself.

"May I walk you to the academy?"

"you'll be there when I'm out, right?"

I wanted to. How I wanted...

"I have to do my Hokage tower check in and I couldn't arrange otherwise." chuckling I ruffled his hair though, tapping the goggles on the top of his head. "I'll be ready to celebrate tonight, however. I know you'll pass."

"thanks Anrui-chan!"

()()()()()()()

It didn't work.

All his examples, all the arguments and it did -nothing-. Iruka meant well, but right there for a brief moment, Naruto hated him. Hated him so fiercely because he was ready to graduate and he knew that the clone jutsu while useful was not everything. He had several others that were the range of academy ones, turning into another object was harder and far more useful then just an illusion clone but he wouldn't accept it! Nor would he take the appearance changing which was a lessor form, meant to allow hiding of notorious coloration and one that as a blonde Naruto would be needing more than not in the field. Spinning the leaf with his chakra, showing he knew how to enhance his muscles to go a little faster and hit a little harder..none of it would even be considered by Iruka! He just refused.

Naruto felt his jaw tighten, his body heaving with the effort not to scream or outright attack his previously favorite teacher.

How could he do this to him?

Snarling Naruto hid his face in his hands, slowly rocking back and forth on the swing in the yard. The only tiny consolation he had, clutched close to his heart, was Anrui had done the same.

It didn't ease the pain.

For just a while, as he felt the surety of his future slip into something he just didn't know; all the lessons Ibiki and Inoichi had taught him slipped away.

So when another teacher offered him a chance to graduate anyways, he took it.

With one exception. First he left a note explaining it for Ibiki at his house. Technically he had notified a superior, but just in case it was true..he was going to steal the scroll anyways.

Besides, who knew what secrets he could learn?


	13. More than a container

AN: I have clearly veered away from Canon before and I am doing so again. I hope you all enjoy. This took me a very long time to find out what to have happen. As tends to happen though what I was going for became hijacked by characters. I'm still not sure I like this, but as it's been so long since I updated fighting this, I've given in. This is not the way I was planning to take this at all.

()()()()()()

Naruto may have played the bumbling idiot, and he may have spent half his time at school with civilians. This however, gave him an unusual skill set to draw off. The history and tales the civilian's learned in literature classes were never touched on in the ninja academy. They were greatly expanded on, dissected, and adjusted with heavy emphasis on 'what would you have done if it were you'. It was always Naruto's favorite subject.

He had never truly realized what a boon it would be though, towards his life in the shadows. Not relying on chakra, Naruto climbed and shifted along the outer face of the Hokage's bedroom walls. His fingers and toes -currently his sandals were tightly wrapped at his belt in cloth to give him better grip- were seeking out tiny ways to grip the walls. He resembled a gecko at the moment, not using chakra at all but sheer muscle and skill to stay in the shadows and maneuver up the wall. Chakra could be detected. Because of that people didn't really worry about the construction on repair of the old building so much and there were lots of areas with eaves and places the grout had worn a bit free that a small child could cling to. If truly careful. He kept to the shadows, his hair under a dark gray bit of cloth, another firmly wrapped around his nose and mouth to muffle the sounds of his breathing. His attire was snug, but loose enough to allow him full range of motion. Dark gray rather than black so he'd blend into the shadows and not stand out so far if they were less than pitch.

Naruto went slowly.

His fingers were sore and toes felt like he may have lost a nail at some point. Holding still was the hardest but he needed to periodically to ensure that no one was going by. No one heard the ever so faint rustle of fabric.

Finally, Naruto perched on the small decorative roof over the smaller bathroom window. There was no one inside. People never really set traps to the small ventilation windows, because after all what adult would go through them? Naruto was careful to test the tiles first, before he clamped his legs on either side of the two foot wide decorative overhang and then dropped his upper body so he was almost folded. There were a few small cobwebs and even a spider that dropped onto his face. He calmly brushed it away and went to work with a few tiny tools. All of which were rubbed in a specialized powder and tipped so they wouldn't create a scratching sound. Luckily it seemed the Hokage or someone in his family had bathed earlier and left the window cracked for air. Removing the screen was fast, Naruto tied it to drape below the window far enough he wouldn't budge it with a bit of the extra cord he always had on his person. Slowly, looking effortless even as the sheer muscle control made Naruto remember hours under Anrui and his uncle's tutelage of learning to control each movement, Naruto pulled himself inside. He lowered himself just as slowly.

It ached, he was aware he was trembling from the effort but slow and controlled and silent was the end result. Carefully placing his feet ball first and side rolling to lessen the sound of each step, he crouched along nearly on all fours. Using every one of his senses and skills, Naruto made his way into the room where the scrolls were held. Before he approached the main scroll, he looked, sniffed, even stuck out his tongue lowering the mask to see if the air tasted like any chakra or warding he knew of. It was apparently safest to approach from the side farthest from the door. He crept along the top of the bookshelves for that, feeling the grit of dust beneath his hands and feet but smirking that whatever ward was on the floor he would bypass all together. For good measure, he grabbed a few smaller scrolls at random and slipped them into the seal -space pouch that was Anrui's old one. She had been setting it out a few days back to remember to fix the strap, Naruto had literally dropped it into his pants in the side and tied it to help keep it in place. It felt like he was trying to hide something in his underwear but at least he knew it wasn't so obvious what he was doing. The large seal though..he wouldn't be able to get out the same way.

It wouldn't fit in his pouch either.

Slowly Naruto glanced at it, then smirked remembering a large window in the hallway along the way. Before claiming the scroll Naruto went to work liberally booby trapping the room and making certain he knew where each was. With no way to grab the scroll without setting off an alarm he shrugged.

He'd been good enough already. There was a limit to an eleven year old's patience after all.

Hoisting the scroll Naruto turned, honestly impressed at the rapid showing of the Hokage. Even if his er, attire, was certainly something to be desired. Several traps going off at once distracted the Hokage, a sexy jutsu and a nosebleed later, and Naruto was crashing though the glass.

Taking off on all fours Naruto raced about, he knew where he was 'supposed' to meet his teacher but had a better idea. It was a predator's instinct to carry it's prey somewhere safe to devour it after all. Smirking wickedly, Naruto hid in the last place most would look for him. The civilian's library.

Finding an abandoned area he unlatched the scroll and began eying it with a wicked smile.

Shadow clones..

He paused then, spying another jutsu just beyond. One that as much as he _itched_ to learn the first forbidden technique, was a better one.

The Sleight of Hand Jutsu.

Licking his lips the boy read it feverishly and slowly his grin became unholy. Oh. Now _this..._ THIS...whomever named it was a genius. How misleading..

()()()()

In the end Naruto returned from his detour and met up in the forest. Iruka tried to come to his defense but the words out of _that man_ had left Naruto feeling sharper canines then normal in his mouth.

For just a second his heart doubted.. Had Anrui-chan...?

()()()()()()

"Hokage.." Yuurei stood there, silent until now as Ibiki had shared his note with the Hokage, the Anbu and all others scrambling to find the blonde carrier of their former destruction. It was likely Ghost would have acted sooner if Crane wasn't there with his hand on her shoulder, knuckles almost white. That she would be heavily bruised later was a forgone conclusion, but it was grounding her. Keeping her senses from going wild.

Sharp eyes cut over. Though the order had been to find Naruto, especially once the note was brought forward the Hokage had made it ferociously clear that the boy was not to be blamed or harmed, and no one was to hurt him during the subduing process if it was necessary. The Hokage didn't need to see behind the blank mask of his operative and sighed.

"Inu." A form was beside him next. Crane frowned and yet, as a proper Anbu said nothing. His face hidden by his mask it was only his slight adjustment in his grip that alerted Anrui to his state as the rest was hidden in the billowing black garments they wore.

()()()()()

I waited.

Perhaps my heart should have been racing, or a dreadful feeling in my stomach. Instead I was feeling that cool calm and pervasive madness of the battlefield. The urge to slip into the between form and seek out my littlest packmate. My little brother in all the ways that counted. I had nothing but faith in Naruto, though some part of me whined and howled in the back of my thoughts that he may very well learn something this evening and perhaps finally his blue eyes would glare at me and he'd snarl in hatred that I had kept so much from him.

I trusted our bond though, it wasn't as if my packmates and I hadn't fought often enough. I was ever so grateful for Crane though, and his solid presence. I needed the pain of his grip on my right shoulder to keep me there. To prevent me from just slipping away to find him, no matter in what way I did so. I was very close to falling into my Yuurei mindset and making my mission to find and bring back Naruto. I wouldn't be safe to be around if I did so, not when it was with something so close to me I would be likely to lash out at any I saw as being a threat to him. It was not something I could help.

It was why my brothers had worked so hard to find me a new partner that could handle me without holding it against me. Crane's constant teaching only made me a better partner and taught him my methods more. I trusted no one else to physically restrain me when I was so emotionally volatile anymore.

When the Hokage called the other cloaked and disguised anbu, not a discernible feature present, they had the hood up as I did after all; I knew I would not be waiting much longer.

"Go. Inu and Yuurei, find and observe him. Inu, follow Yuurei but be wary as any aggression may provoke her. I want both of you to stay behind and see if he will return on his own. Only if Naruto shows no signs of doing so, or is in mortal peril are you to interfere."

"Permission...Hokage-sama..." I rasped out, my voice dripping with the wilderness as I held myself steady. I was about to fall into my hunt, my sanity hung on a thread as all I could do was think of _my_ Naruto needing me. His bright blue eyes from the first time we met burned in my memory.

While my fellow operatives (Except Crane, wonderful Crane keeping me grounded and sane for a moment more with his grip) wouldn't have understood, Hokage nodded.

"If he figures it out, you may confirm. Go."

Crane I am certain wasn't surprised to feel the shock of cold as I phased my shoulder out, twisting from him and launching away, Inu right on my tail. I would apologize to Crane later for numbing his hand.

Inu didn't say anything. He was far faster than I was normally, but I was partially ghosted at the moment, and I was entirely focused. Behind my mask my mouth was parted, tasting the air even as I inhaled in and out slowly. Maximizing my senses. I knew the mask hid my eye color, which was likely now anything but looking sane.

I was certain my pupils would be blown wide and the whites of my eyes showing, much like a frothing panicked animal.

I did not know Inu, I did not care who or what they were, even if he was really male or just a tall woman. All that mattered right then was that my little brother whom I had never wanted to love, but wriggled his way under my ribs and made himself a den, was in danger and in need. I did not doubt I would honestly slaughter someone in my way.

When I found him I stopped short, twisting my form to phase through the trees and then clamping my hands in place, perched like one of my fully Inuzuka cousins on the branch that hid me from sight. I was ready to launch myself forward at any moment. It was all I could do to hold the snarls and growls from being voiced. I was aware of Inu near, but not in range. Both of us entirely hidden from Chakra, though I'd felt his ever so minutely spike in surprise when I had gone right through a tree.

Seems that despite my name and rumors, no one believed them. Crane would be amused at that...

I forced myself to breathe slowly as my eyes locked onto the two below. Naruto was alive and unharmed..anything else would wait now.

()()()()

In the end Naruto had not used any special jutsu to end the 'traitor' as Iruka had dubbed him. He felt it was far more serving as a twisted justice to beat him as a genin. A very talented but _human_ boy! Naruto had used chakra wire and dodging to snare the giant shuriken, and several not at all nice jutsu his uncle Ibiki had taught him. He'd been trained by T&I heads, Naruto could be brutal and ruthless but none of that had shown under the bumbling idiot persona he'd used at the academy.

It was how the traitor found himself lacking fingers on one hand and with a garote around his neck. Snarling, Naruto didn't even recognize his own voice and it rasped out with hatred.

"I don't think you deserve to live...for what you did, for hurting Iruka-sensei..but it's not my choice. I'm a Konoha citizen and those punishments are for the Hokage to decide.."

"You ..damned fox..."

"Yeah and what have I done to beat you that was the fox? Freaking idiot..." Naruto spat at him before he went limp at Naruto's still bare feet. Unconscious. Closing his eyes with a snarl Naruto didn't hold back tears...

A footfall.

A heartbeat audible to his ears because it was so familiar. A scent.

Naruto looked up at the masked figure and narrowed his eyes with a hiss, drawing back like a cornered animal into a crouch, one hand on the ground and the other curled tight around his kunai. The blank expression masked figure dropped to one knee and just waited.

"Did you know!? Did You..Was all of..All of it a Lie!? Answer me!" Naruto screamed at her. He knew who it was of course, though he was livid that at least some was a lie because she was clearly an Anbu. Not the drop out, not the chakra worthless that she'd played him for. What else had been lies?

Anrui held out her hand to him, wrist limp, fingers half curled open. Relaxed. She didn't use words then, but her soft chuffing whine that was the affectionate one she'd use just for him..

Naruto trembled, still glaring. He wanted to go to her but he needed answers first, or he'd never get the nerve to ask again.

"Did you know?!"

Her mask nodded once. Her heartbeat and scent didn't change. She wasn't worried. Iruka was panicked, and he could smell more fear now slowly building. There were others in the area..they smelled worried, angry. Not Anrui. Not the same.

"Was all ...a lie?" Naruto couldn't bring himself to say it bluntly. Not only for his heart breaking but because the years of all three of the adults in his pack making it clear that Anbu were often secret even from each other. If this was something..and wouldn't it indeed be if she wasn't even thought a ninja..he wouldn't hurt her.

It stung to think that even as he wanted to rage and scream and she may have tricked him all along, he didn't want to hurt Anrui.

Maybe just maybe, they could get through this.

A soft sigh was his answer before he was suddenly engulfed in her arms as he swayed from the utter emotional roller coaster that had been his journey in the last twenty four hours on top of the physical and chakra use earlier. "Someone grab the men for questioning and the scroll needs to be returned." with that she turned and tilted her head towards where Inu was. Naruto faking being passed out to see what would be revealed if they thought he wasn't aware.

"Inu. Let us return."

The trip was silent, Naruto was good at pretending to be asleep, but his face was held right against Anrui's throat, under her mask, as she ran. Behind Inu. Her voice barely audible but the vibrations passing into his skin from hers calmed the internal torrent he was dealing with.

"I'll explain it all...but feelings can't be faked with Pack."

Naruto closed his eyes tightly. That's right...slowly he relaxed a bit. He was still wary, it still stung, but at least he knew if nothing else..

His pack loved him. Even if Anrui..which meant his uncles, had known about the nightmare beneath his skin. It was more than he thought he had for a bit there.

()()()()()()()

He thought morning had come at some point but Naruto was so wrung out and tired he wasn't certain. There had been awkward discussions with the Hokage and Iruka-sensei. Several long pauses in weighty silence had passed and for once the blonde felt no need to full fill the role of entertaining the rest. He kept his arms around Anrui's neck content to act like a younger child without shame and absorbed her reactions to people and things. It had taken very little of his true potential to figure out that it was at least not just him that Anrui hid her secrets from. Everyone that came by to report or discuss something 'trivial' with the Hokage had known Yuurei-san but no one addressed her more casually.

Now in part Naruto knew this was because of that eerie mask she wore. Being so plan of feature it did make it a little unnerving to just stare at her. It was one thing with all the newer Anbu that always were helping to look out for him. After all he had learned to find them fast, fast enough it impressed his uncles but there was just always a little second sensation of someone being there. Maybe it was the fox thing.

Yuurei's mask though was not meant to look like anything. It was just plain, eerie.

She didn't speak or move from her spot, though at some point a larger Anbu had shown up to help guard with her. Every so often Naruto would slip in and out of being conscious. The Hokage wasn't letting him out of the office until the mess was handled.

"Naruto?"

"Hey Jiji..I..do I get to keep my headband?" Naruto asked, not meeting his eyes.

"Well.." Sarutobi leaned back to light his pipe. "Did you ever intend to keep the scroll for yourself?"

"No."

"Did you read it?"

"Yeah. Couldn't help that.."

"I see. How far into it did you get? There was no forbidden jutsu shown on capture according to the many reports so far."

"Just glanced over a few, I saw one called shadow clones that looked pretty neat..but mostly something called 'Sleight of Hand Jutsu'?"

"Of course you'd find that." There was a long pause, but it was one that Naruto was okay with. It was the old people are thinking of what they can tell you sort of pause. Which may it be known, greatly surpassed the I'm not going to tell you anything because I don't know silence.

"It is a misnomer, that Jutsu. I was never fond of it because it can be a lot of effort for very little in the way of results. Sleight of hand instead works to misdirect or alter situations depending on how it is applied. Most commonly it is used in battle or missions to have something appear in your hands. It can be a very potent technique but it requires utmost control and practice to be of use."

"But if I got good at it, I could pull a hostage away or whatever we'd been sent to retrieve, right?"

"Hostage yes, the other..it's not a silent or subtle Jutsu but yes. However I need to impress upon you that techniques are forbidden either because they are truly heinous and horrific, or the sheer price of using them would kill if not severely damage most people. Only because you have a significant chakra reserve to draw on in addition to your own would I even consider allowing you to use the jutsu you have learned. With one caveat...one of your uncles must be there at any time you use it. I do not even want you to use it around your Jounin-sensei or teammates until you have _Ibiki_ saying you mastered it enough."

Naruto paused. "Can I say I agree unless there's truly a need for it?"

"Define...Need...Naruto."

"I'm not sure someone is getting out of a situation alive otherwise or we could recover what was stolen."

Sarutobi sighed heavily, realizing that at least Naruto tended to keep his word and wouldn't have the jutsu to use on the bell test. That was something at least. "Extreme situations only. I'm trusting you, Naruto..."

"Like you trusted the villagers to not hate me for the fox?"

The silence was suddenly drowning. It had been in the tired way Naruto had stated it. Even the Hokage it seemed, forgot that much of his brash and loud idiot persona was just that. Naruto had put many things together and while it still hurt like a deep wound that had disinfectant just applied it no longer felt as though it was festering. His lungs still felt tight, his breaths too shallow and he knew he was shaking.

Answers would help.

"...I promise on another day when you are rested to explain as much as I can, Naruto. The village did disappoint me that I agree on. However, you have the ability to make them change minds. I would say much as you have with so many civilian's who accept you as a ninja."

"I'd like to learn the shadow clones."

"Seeing as your problem is too much chakra, Ibiki had actually put in a request to teach you more advance cloning techniques. I shall leave it up to him as to which method he chooses to teach you however. The crippling nature of such powerful methods is we often come to over rely upon them."

"One more thing." Naruto took a deep breath, knowing his next question was the only logical one but he hated to have one more thing that could hurt him tonight. Memories of just how he'd met Anrui, how she'd looked at him oddly so many times. How very strange it was for an adult to -care- floated back from his hazy early days. "Did you assign Anrui to take me in?"

The Hokage set down his pipe and met his eyes calmly. "It seems, young one, I now owe your guardian quite a bit from a wager she placed back then. In her own words you would resent if such was ever discovered. I gave the option to interact as much or as little as she desired..if it helps she was as much like the rest of the village regarding you when the assignment was made. Whatever beyond that is there..you two made on your own. No meddling old man involved."

Naruto locked his eyes to the Hokages for a time, before nodding once and closing his eyes. That made sense. He could remember how despite Anrui's actions her face or bodylanguage had betrayed her back then as well. She'd never been comfortable but there had been a difference in her expression. She'd cared, even when she was scared of him. Now he could place that early expression knowing what he held inside. Despite that, she'd given him a chance.

If that didn't say how much she cared he wasn't sure what did. The same with Ibiki and Inoichi. They all clearly had known and yet let him into their hearts and did their best by them.

"May I tell those I trust, about the unwanted pet?"

"I would advise you to be very careful if you do so. Also, should that occur, you need to tell Ibiki or Inoichi so they can get word to me."

"Not Anrui-chan?"

"She's just a civilian."

Naruto frowned at that, yet he kept his mouth shut. It was clearly something to ask when they got back home. It was a little helpful though, to know that at least Anrui hadn't been a regular ninja. He wasn't sure how she would have pulled that off..

He didnt' stay conscious much longer. It had been too long of a day.

()()()()()

When he awoke Uncle Ibiki was at his bed side. The very first item- even before he was permitted to go to the bathroom- was he had to debrief Ibiki on everything. Then he was allowed to go, and come back right away. At which point Ibiki produced surprise breakfast buns from his favorite location and two thermos's of tea.

"Now I must say overall I am highly impressed with you Naruto. You did all of us proud."

Naruto paused, one delicious bun halfway to his mouth and gaped at his uncle. His uncle who did not say such things.

"I mean it. You left a note, you checked the best way to infiltrate, made certain you had the correct item and even though on a mission you should never peruse it so far as you did, that was a saving factor this time. You then confronted the traitor, deferred to your superior Iruka." Ibiki took a sip of his tea, eyes never blinking as he watched Naruto eat slowly. The blonde didn't want the sound of his inhalation of breakfast to drown out any of the praise he was receiving.

"Not only that, but then when your superior's wounded you defended him without resorting to anything that could cast doubt upon yourself. Any one of those Anbu could have been a plant and you did not try out the technique you studied. You incapacitated and even quoted the law at him..." Ibiki smirked. "Because you warned him by the way, you've also made it where we didn't need to hesitate to start on him. On behalf of all of T&I we are appreciating that."

Naruto looked down and nodded, his stomach feeling leaden. "One of them smelled familiar."

"You're using all your senses." It was a statement that radiated smug approval and Naruto glanced up through his bangs, uncomfortable as he nodded.

He said nothing though. Just quietly ate several of the buns and drank his tea. Ibiki finally nodded after a long heavy silence.

"And you aren't saying anything." Ibiki allowed some of his pride in Naruto to leak through his voice. He didn't say why, but both knew it was in reference to not saying whom he thought the ANBU had been. He was still protecting. He was listening to what they'd warned him of.

"For the record.." Ibiki leaned forwar, his voice dropping to tones you had to be there to hear, hands infront of his face crossed at the fingers to hide his lip movements. Just in case. "She never did graduate. Her chakra will not do what ours does. It will work _only_ in certain ways. Special chunin may be a better classification but for the sake of staying anonymous the mask comes out. A partner is required to make up for the lack but some day when she lets you know, you'll see what her chakra can do. It is a bloodline trait..and a _pack_ secret." Ibiki stressed the word and Naruto's brain whirled categorizing this as something on the level of clan secrets, but he was part of it.

"How long?"

"Inoichi and I trained her."

Naruto fell silent again and frowned, thinking it all through rapidly. "Bushy brows huh?"

Ibiki leaned back with a pleased laugh. "Sometimes how your brain works is astounding..congratulations, all of Konoha is fooled on that one."

Somehow, that knowledge helped settle him.

"Where..?"

Ibiki's eyes met his and he shook his head. "Outside in the yard. Convinced you want nothing to do with her and being an idiot about it..has been since you were brought home last night."

Naruto's jaw dropped and he all but launched to the window, looking out.

Sure enough, a familiar form was curled up unconscious in the back yard..and looked like she'd spent the night out there.

"Why?"

"...as long as I've been close to her Naruto, there are times I still cannot predict her."

Naruto frowned but tilted his head. Maybe the fox gave him instincts..it explained some of the ways he'd understood her..and he huffed out. If she'd walked away from him last night, or if he hadn't recognized her scent..yeah. He'd be the one out there. Afraid that he wouldn't be wanted, that he'd make them all uncomfortable. That they wouldn't ...trust...him...

"Oh."

Naruto grabbed his blanket and leaped out of the window, a few jumps later he plopped down next to Anrui, ignoring her eyes flying open as he drapped the blanket on the ground and then over both of them, curling up against her.

"You're gonna get a cold."

Her arms wrapped around him tightly and Naruto closed his eyes.

They'd get through all this somehow.

"No more secrets."

"...all right.." She sighed heavily, but her chin settled against the top of his head and he flipped the edge of the blanket to hide her face under there with him, making her chuckle.

"Demanding.."

"Uh huh."

"...what do you want to know?"

"Everything."

Anrui hummed and then her voice started, soft and raspy from being out all night. "I was coming back from a mission when I stepped outside the hokage tower and bumped into a little blonde form about knee high with the most startling blue eyes..." Naruto felt his lips curve in the familiar story and rest his head closer, to hear her heartbeat.

This time she told the story without things edited out. How she was scared of what he held, how she couldn't take his being too thing and hungry. How she recognized the ninja families would shun him and decided to show him what she had found, that often the civilian's were far greater then given credit for. She wove the tales of their years together anew; peppered with her observations of his sense of smell and reactions being so much _more_ and how it let her feel while terrified of what he contained, delighted that it was allowing him to be more like her.

She told him stories of her own years after the academy failed her and her frustrations.

She paused then and arms slackened. "You have to go get your team assignments.." Anrui sat up and tilted her head, regarding him. "When you return..I'll tell you more."

"Is there much more?"

Anrui gave him her first smile since the night.. "We've had a lifetime, Naruto. It takes time to tell."

"We're going to have longer." He said, blue eyes meeting gold and both relaxed.

It was shaky, their relationship now. She had to tell him things without being able to say others. He had a massive secret to come to terms with.

They'd find a way.

It was what true family did.

"Can I have Ramen for a week?"

"Don't push it."


	14. Everything changes

AN: The chapters are slowing and I apologize for that but it has been a very long time since I saw the show and this is so far different antagonist I have to rethink it. I'd go re-watch but frankly..who has the time?This is NOT a long chapter. If you want silliness go read my new spoofing not really serious Who up there Hates me?

()()()()()()

Naruto found the classroom when he entered was..even worse. Iruka was happy to see him at least but the number of scowls and glares from his fellow students was sobering. He'd had every intention of bouncing in there being an annoying idiot.

Ibiki had cut him off sharply when he'd walked in from the garden laughing about how they still had no idea. "Your research is done. Teams are assigned. Continuing the charade will only cause strife and damage from this point on. You are not to explain what you have done and you are to deflect questions when and where possible." Ibiki's eyes had narrowed and his semi apprentice had straightened, eyes sharp and serious in return. "Naruto, this is not going to be pleasant. You did your job well, perfectly. In casting off your facade you will actually let us find further issues faster as the gossip spreads. The simple truth is many will no like you as you are. Your 'dead last' persona let a lot of your fellow students feel better about themselves. You haven't a name and fortune to dazzle them into keeping their mouths shut and being your followers. Keep guarded. Trust no one for now."

Unsaid was he could trust Ino.

Inoichi had stopped by to ruffle his hair and give him a braided leather bracelet in black. It was subtle, and only he and Ino would understand there was five bands. Two smaller than the other three. A reminder. Ino had the same one and had held her head up proudly showing it was already on her wrist. It had been known she was a bully with Naruto as her occasional hanger on, no one had been told the truth though some (Nara's mostly) would have wondered. They left earlier. Naruto was going to plan to arrive late, but before he would actually be tardy. One to make an entrance and two because if his family had taught him anything, it was easier to avoid needing to answer questions than to lie.

Anrui paused as she had been setting out the real breakfast instead of the buns Ibiki had brought, her hair loose for once and wild. Arms loosely crossed she had waited until he ate before adding her own words.

"You are a shinobi now. You will find the civilian's are going to be confused, they will not support this. Your good friends, Yin and the others, will be there. Many however will treat you as though you are suddenly ill. They will worry for you, they will try to convince you to quit. Some may even avoid you." Her voice paused, letting Naruto's face pale as he realized, truly, that achieving his dream in one way was removing the security he had always known in another. "This is reality, Gaki. It's not pleasant but to get something you always lose something else. In time they will adjust, especially if you always remember who was there for you before you became a genin of Konoha." Anrui had crouched down, eye to eye. "You asked for honesty from me. I am giving it to you."

"I meant about you.." Naruto had heard his voice crack.

"This is part of it. I am trusting you Naruto to keep what you know now and will of me a secret. The civilian's have no one. Once the Military police looked out for them. They are gone. Not all shinobi are good or else we would not have wars, Ibiki and Inoichi would be out of work." She would have gone on but there was a sober realization in Naruto's eyes.

"No one else..what about the shinobi who come from civilian families?"

"The work will demand much of you. Many cannot balance the two, and when your civilian friends do not see you if you do not make the effort to visit them, you will drift apart."

Naruto licked his lips and then nodded slowly. "They can't relate to their families. Can they?"

"The civilian shinobi? No."

Something else clicked then and he tilted his head, eyeing Anrui for a long time. "You're neither." She nodded and so he continued as finally a few things made sense. "You can't date a civilian because of secrets that they'd resent, and you can't be with a ninja because to them.." he trailed off and she smiled wanly.

"You may as well get used to it Naruto, because you can say _nothing._ I'm trusting you with a secret so large that outside of your uncles and the Hokage, and less than three others I have worked with..no one knows. I am outside of this conversation a _failure._ You have surpassed me. You will be harassed and teased and talked about having a worthless guardian who can't do a henge or any of the techniques you have done. I am considered of no use. You will hear very sordid rumors of your uncles and I because no one understands why two very powerful and feared heads of their fields associate with a little wild civilian nobody."

Naruto flinched as he heard the words but taking a deep breath didn't look away.

"I understand."

Anrui smiled at him then and leaned her forehead against his. "Never doubt, that I was achingly proud of you last night. For all of it."

"It's going to be hard. Isn't it?" He didn't specify because he wasn't sure exactly of what part he was talking about.

She just sighed as her answer. Hard wouldn't even begin to cover it.

Naruto had asked her to walk him to the academy anyways. "We started this together, I want to close my life as a student the same way." He paused then with his hands in his pockets, frowning at the weight of his forehead protector in place of the goggles he had worn. "...can I continue my studies at the civilian school?"

A strange sound was tugged out of Anrui's throat and Naruto smirked in pride. It was a sound of stunned pleasure.

"I'll talk to them after I drop you off. You'll probably have to do it all from home and I can bring it in but." She mumbled before repeating it louder. "I wish I had thought of that at your age."

The rest of the walk was silent. Naruto had packed and brought his own bento this time because Ibiki had been in the house and he didn't want to see if anything would have been slipped inside as a lesson otherwise. He had all his gear, and in his hand the written permission to place in the school records from the Hokage recognizing Naruto as a genin for services rendered to Konoha. Ibiki had brought it by that morning along with the first breakfast.

He stopped at the gate for a long time. It meant a lot that Anrui said nothing, just waited. This was it.

No going back.

"I'll see you tonight, Anrui-chan."

"I'll be there."

Walking into that classroom in his more civilian style wear, with nods to the shinobi lifestyle was..different. He wasn't hiding behind the ugly orange jumpsuit though he had a orange headband, and shirt. His jacket was the brown leather Ibiki clone that made him feel more like he had a suit of armor on, his ninja sandals were black, his pants were basic black cargo pants and his gloves were regulation standard. His Uzumaki swirl was on the back of his shirt, currently hidden from view and his hair had been frosted with orange a few days before the mess. He'd just touched it up with chakra dye that was laying around from his last prank.

"What's with the get up Naruto?" Iruka asked as he walked in, even as a few students, Shikamaru among them, stated he wasn't supposed to be there. Ignoring all but his superior officer as he had been taught Naruto handed over the Hokage's decree.

"It's just clothing, Iruka-sensei." His voice was casual, hiding how nervous he was even as he smiled back at the teacher. He did like Iruka but none of the previous night's disaster would have been needed if he hadn't held him back trying to be nice. Then again, he wouldn't know about his belly demon, about Anrui.

You had to give something up to get something else, indeed.

He felt eyes all over him even as he went to sit down. The only available seat if he didn't wish to go all the way to the back was by Sasuke. Shrugging, he took it. When Ino and Sakura came in loudly, Naruto lifted a brow at their bickering.

"Naruto! Get out of my seat!" Sakura screamed.

Now, he liked Sakura a great deal. He really did, and he knew she and Ino were obsessed over Sasuke. So rather than argue he decided to take a different route. Ino could hit him later, it was for their own good.

"Sure. I see a few seats in the back..come on Sasuke-san, let's leave the girls to their seats." He pointed to the back with his thumb. Sasuke blinked at him a few times as the females in the class shrieked. It had been plotted though, as Iruka finally noticed the commotion and hollered to sit down. Neither boy got up to move.

The team assignments had Naruto groaning inwardly. Sakura was going to be a problem, because of the two one way interests but it could be worked around. Sighing he ran a hand through his hair, getting used to the obstruction of his forehead protector. He didn't even bother to ask if Sasuke wanted to have lunch, Sakura did and chased after him. There was no point in forcing the issue when they didn't even know what he was really like.

"Ino-chan?" Naruto asked softly as she walked by, on her way to eat with her team. Ino paused, looking over her shoulder and smiled. It was time the rest of her next gen Ino-shika-cho learned about her real best friend.

"Yeah. Come on."


	15. The more things change

AN: So I am going to try to make Sakura more likable in the beginning in this. I think she had a LOT of potential but she didn't reach it for a long time, and then she kept backsliding. I'm still debating on if I redeem Sasuke in this one or not..I try to not overlap themes too much in my stories. Sasuke is rather fixed in Carapace, I'm messing with the Hyuuga (which was so not the intention) in Who up there hates me..etc. This IS my civilian conflict story though and Sakura is I think, perfectly balanced there...but Ino will remain the main young woman in Naruto's life as his bestie. Pairings are still entirely undecided though I'm loving when people start shipping Naruto or Anrui with people. There is a poll up for what you want updated next and Unfinished Scrolls is a new series of my ideas in drabbles and sometimes one shots that are just ideas that need out. I have a few in there that I'll likely expand over time.

()()()()()()

Ino looked from one side to the other, smiling pleased. True she wasn't paired with Sasuke but she really did know all along she wouldn't be. The same reason there wasn't a chance for her to be on the team with Naruto, the Ino-Shika-Cho was a flawless combination. One that worked beautifully on and off the battlefield and you didn't throw away a known winning hand to try a new gamble.

Still, she felt slight tingles down her spine and up again that made her smile happily. It was heart warming to see Naruto and Chouji feeling each other's temperament out as Shika watched. Naruto had offered to share his food with all three, admitted he had made it himself so it wasn't anything fancy.

It had multiple layers though to the group there. He _always_ offered to share with Ino when they were alone, and she would do the same. Chouji's entire clan relied on food as a sign of camaraderie and necessity for their own jutsu. For Shikamaru to be offered something after he'd witnessed the person eating it, showing it was safe, was a tactic.

Chouji had been delighted and the two boys were actually both snacking on bits of very spicy chicken that Naruto had made because he had a cast iron stomach. Chouji did as well and was giving and honest opinion of the spice blend as well as suggestions. Who would have thought they'd bond over cooking? Wait, boys and their food..

"So, how long have you actually gotten along with Naruto?" Shikamaru finally asked, not even bothering to look up from his meal as he addressed Ino.

"From the start."

"..." There was of course no answer. Finally when they had put their bentos away and Naruto was helping Ino off the bench to head back inside Shikamaru spoke again.

"What was the point?"

Naruto paused and then looked over at Shikamaru. There was none of his dopey grin but instead a serious regard for the Nara genius. A respectful one. It made Shika sit up further and narrow his gaze because Naruto knew his clan and had bothered to assume that he was putting up a front as the former orange wearing menance had as well.

"I can't tell you. It definitely showed me a lot about our class mates I doubt they would wish me to know however."

Shikamaru slouched, hands in his pocket but eyes never leaving Naruto's.

Ever so slightly he nodded.

()()()()()()

Waiting on their sensei was boring. Naruto decided to prank the man but he did it in his own way, only the balance of the eraser was nothing to the real prank. No the real prank would be set off by the eraser's impact. After all, why not? In the interim while they waited and Sakura fussed and Sasuke brooded..neither seeming ready for his company as they both were looking at him as if waiting for the obvious bad prank- he did the intelligent thing. Naruto went over to the bookshelf for the teacher's by Iruka's desk and started perusing it for a recent history book. Once there he idly flipped to the back, where the index was.

Slowly he trailed his fingers down the page, ignoring Sakura ranting and railing about how he should stop pretending to be cool already.

"Got it."

Black and green eyes lashed to his form so swiftly Naruto almost felt the impact of their gaze.

"Hatake Kakashi. Jounin commonly known as 'Copy Nin'. Brief mention of him in a few places..apparently he's copied a thousand jutsu's and was one of the early graduates in the last war.." Naruto set the book down in front of Sakura so she could see for herself.

"Hn."

"But..I...what.." Sakura stammered before looking up at Naruto confused.

Naruto shrugged and smiled at her casually. "I'm better at acting on things than the research Sakura-chan but I'm not stupid. They taught me about looking up historical figures at civilian school."

"You..." Sakura paused, looking uncomfortable before she spoke again, hyper aware of Sasuke there and not wishing to make him think less of her. "You went to civilian school?"

"Well yeah. My guardian is a civilian and she insisted. It was hard keeping up my grades there and so they suffered here sometimes but it was important to her and I didn't want her disappointed."

"I don't believe you!" Sakura glare at him and Naruto felt his eyebrow twitch but he just sighed.

"You don't have to Sakura-chan." Oh he could mention people, heck even Yin knew of the Haruno family. There was a few ninjas in it but they'd all retired after the war let them to become common business folk. Lots of people who had been essentially drafted in one of the wars and 'escaped' to be normal as possible were accepted by the civilian's easily. He wouldn't argue this though. In time she'd learn otherwise. He just had to be patient.

His surprising tone, almost a bit sad made Sakura pause. She remembered Naruto wasn't just the oaf being an idiot in class with a huge crush on her but also the one who let her and the other girls paint his nails and cover his face with weird creams at Ino's party. The one who had been so impressed she could belch Haiku's.

"What was your favorite class?" She finally asked, still embarrassed because _Sasuke-kun was right there!_ But she was curious. She wanted to know how far he'd gone, was it further than her? Because if he really had gone to school at the same time as the academy maybe there was hope and he wouldn't make her feel like such a loser because she didn't have a clan name. Already she felt a bit better knowing Naruto had a civilian guardian. It made her a little more relatable, a little less like she felt she was faking this ninja thing.

"Don't laugh."

"No promises!" She smirked at him, arms crossed, trying to keep the upper hand. Oh god was she getting along with _Naruto of all people!?_

"...I liked literature. Where they'd make us come up with new endings to the stories." Naruto rubbed the back of his head, and Sasuke hn'd lightly. Dismissing them both.

"What use is that for a ninja?"

"Ever hear of infiltration dumbass? Or escort missions? Those involve civilian's. I can blend, Sakura can blend, we have things to talk about that isn't geography or politics or things that most wouldn't get. So excuse me if that's really useful stuff to know." Naruto snapped at Sasuke who always rubbed him the wrong way.

Black met blue and lightning seemed to crackle along their spines before ever so subtly, taking in that none of that had been a pointless conversation..Sasuke inclined his head.

"Well. My first impression of you is you're spoiled and hopeless."

The three whirled, standing in the door, faint chalk dust still falling in a cloud and with an eraser on the floor was a silver haired man in a mask. They'd missed the prank.

Naruto's eyes gleamed however. It clearly had still hit their sensei on the head..and that meant..

"Meet me on the roof."

Oh yeah. He was such a brat that Naruto felt zero regret now.

The introductions were weird. Naruto almost went with being an idiot but had to remind himself that persona was done with. "Uzumaki Naruto. I like when things make sense, pranks, learning more pranks, Ramen, canines especially wolves and Inuzuka nin dogs because they're awesome as can be..." He rubbed his chin. The list of likes was actually pretty long but that was relatively harmless to leave there. "I don't like people believing in rumors to the point that they cannot think for themselves and those who look down on others. I really don't like when people make my friends unhappy because then I have to spend time planning the perfect prank to get back at them when I could be learning something actually interesting. My goals for the future.." He paused then and took a breath. He wasn't hiding. He wasn't hiding...

"I want to be Hokage and make certain the civilian's are protected again."

"What! They are protected now Naruto!" Sakura lectured him and gave him a glare that was actually pretty impressive.

"You need to work on your glare, that could become really scary later on.." He said idly before shaking his head. "No they aren't. They don't like ninja or trust them. Haven't you seen it in your own family Sakura-chan? All my friends from civilian school act like we have a disease that's terminal. They used to be looked after..." He glanced at Sasuke, feeling the black eyes boring into him almost physically and just nodded. He may not like the guy but his family deserved respect and he'd give that. He'd have wanted it for his too..

"But they aren't now. I want to fix that. I want to fix a lot of things.."

"Hmmm.." And now there was another eye drilling into Naruto.

Naruto looked back at his sensei, serious. He'd weathered his family he could certainly handle the gaze of a single jounin, amazing nickname and entry into the history books or not.

"Well. Now I almost feel bad for having to tell you that you have your real test tomorrow.."

()()()()()()

Naruto had waited for his team to separate. Sakura had almost chased after Sasuke but after his sneering rejection hesitated. Naruto smiled. He knew how that felt. He didn't want it shared.

"Wanna go for Ramen Sakura?"

"I am not going on a date with you Naruto!" She hissed, idly Naruto wondered if she had learned Iruka's big head jutsu thing.

"I know." Naruto smiled, eyes crinkling at Sakura's surprised look. "We're teammates though now and I thought..well..maybe you'd want to talk about the civilian thing? You know when Sasuke's not around because he's _clan._ He wouldn't get it."

Sakura paused and then her green eyes flicked to the side. He could almost see her amazing brain working before she nodded. "Can we not get Ramen though?"

"Eh?" Naruto rubbed the back of his neck before he chuckled. Why not take her _there_. "You like Yakisoba?"


	16. Of Noodles and nowhere

AN: I really need to update the earlier chapters so they read better. In the meantime, enjoy. I'll probably try to stick to this updating whatever the last story to get an update was so that we don't go so long again for the interim. Sorry about that. Sometimes I just get too many ideas and forget I haven't actually written the chapters out!

()()()()()()()()

It turned out Sakura did like Yakisoba.

Naruto had delighted in introducing her as his new 'work partner' as the introduction went instead of calling her his teammate to the older couple still running the same restaurant that Anrui had first taken him to. Over the years he came here almost as often as he went to the ramen stand that would feed him when sometimes no one else would. In the days _before_ as he tended to think of a time before Anrui.

When they learned Sakura was one of the Haruno's the couple had fussed over her a bit, sighing at the sight of their head bands but just shaking their head. Naruto hadn't done anything but smile patiently as they ruffled his hair and patted him down. He was fully aware of his pink-haired crush watching but it didn't matter. Not even for Sakura and trying to be cool in front of her would he be short-tempered with the owners of the very place he had first had his life change begin.

His family shared a love of both the owners, and their food; though his uncles were not tolerated as well as Naruto and Anrui, and later Ino had been. They'd made a point of coming here for most special occasions and he had a feeling when he told Anrui later; she would be giving him that soft eyed fanged grin that she did when she was pleased. Because he was looking out for his pink haired teammate and just because Sasuke stormed off didn't mean she deserved to be treated as a burden. She couldn't help whom she was born to, that her history didn't come with connotations of royalty and legendary bloodline traits. That her hair was pink like her namesake and she dressed vibrantly because it made her happy. None of that should be thrown in her face with a sneer. His favorite color was orange and he could gently point out to her that she needed to tone down the vibrancy of her garb if they were on missions.

Naruto was _proud_ of his civilian connections and he wanted Sakura to stay that way too. Maybe, just maybe, he could begin his journey to making certain they were just as much a part of this ninja village as they had been once before. Starting small, with the next generation was a good step. So he let the older couple fuss and shoo them to a table and bring them tea. He pulled Sakura's chair out for her and handed her the napkin when he'd removed the decorative ring off of it because it was what Inoichi had taught him you did. There were lots of little fiddly things like that were items Naruto picked up and didn't question why, he was a natural mimic and there was zero chance of his uncles correcting good behavior.

"I..you've come here a lot, huh?" Sakura asked. For a moment Naruto saw the smaller shy girl he vaguely remembered back when she first caught his attention and he nodded. Lips curving into a bright smile Naruto explained it to her.

"My guardian brought me here back when I still lived at the orphanage. Taught me how to have some manners and well..we always came back here when something good happened." He paused and even though he didn't really feel it, he did. "I know it'd be better if we had the teme here but.."

"Why do you call him that?" Sakura kept her voice down, aware of where they were. In response came a soft humm and a tilt of the blonde's head. Naruto poured them both a cup of tea -jasmine of course- before he looked at her. Rolling the answer in his mind before he nodded. He could explain this, and perhaps, just perhaps the information would take root better with Sakura than it did with his darling best friend.

"Because Ino-chan has a crush on him but he's never given her a reason to. Or yourself. He's not nice to the girls and I get that he doesn't like the attention but there are better ways to go about it. You don't belittle people. That's something shallow people do. It hurts to be on the receiving end. Because I was taught that people deserve respect and to act so cruelly to someone who admires you isn't something to praise." Though it wasn't easy Naruto kept his voice even, trying to keep his dislike of the arrogant Uchiha out of it. Opposing information was better received if spoken casually and factually.

Sakura shifted a bit, uncertain how to take such a different concept of her precious crush. "I didn't know you were friends with Ino?" Even though he'd gone to her party and been seen with her Ino was a bit too good at playing up the 'minion' act. It was a far easier thought for her right now than trying to silence her inner voice demanding to know how dare Naruto insult her precious Sasuke.

"Oh yeah." Naruto grinned at her, a bit nervously but he's going to try and be as honest as he can with his teammates so he doesn't hesitate long. "Her dad is friends with my Guardian. I'll introduce the team to her some day..so Ino and I grew up around each other but you know that whole civilian's not trusting shinobi goes both ways. So since I had reasons to play up being an idiot in the academy we made a game of her behavior. I've always known she was my friend and she tried to not cross the line..there were a few times I had to admit to her something was too far but not many."

He let Sakura think on that for a while as they nibbled through the first course before he changed the subject.

"So how long did you go to school?" Blinking he then clarified. "Real school, where the numbers and formulas are a little more applicable than calculating kunai throwing which very few of us can do in the middle of battle, that is."

"Ah..I stopped going when I enrolled in the academy but I kept getting a lot of the work sent home so that I could keep up. I really like numbers and logic problems." Sakura bit her finger, clearly having trouble believing she was telling him that and so Naruto kept it light, laughing.

"Did you ever get the compound interest problems?"

"Yes! They were fascinating!" And this time the sparkle in her green eyes was genuine. It only grew at the stunned look her comment pulled out of Naruto.

"What!? You mean I could have just come to ask you for help instead of trying to find a book in the library?" Moaning theatrically Naruto clutched at his cheeks and faked a pout, that was about forty percent genuine. If he'd only known!

"Didn't you find any?"

"There was one and it was outdated and missing pages..the whole class had to share notes because someone lost it halfway in the week. Luckily my best friend there has a dad who runs a shop and kind of explained it to us but it was still almost impossible. I'm not so good with numbers. Give me stories and let me change things around so I like them, or a prank and I'm good!" Naruto was amused though at all his careful omissions of the names of his civilian guardian and friends. It seemed Sakura wasn't even picking up on it. Already she'd been falling into the subtle brainwashing it seemed occurred when someone reached the last few years of the academy, where they started to ignore the civilians save as mission parameters. It was..eerie.

"Pranks?" Sakura made a face at him, it was a fair channel of Iruka's, to be honest, and inwardly Naruto had to give her credit. She could make that work for her with a little effort.

"I know you're laughing I can see you grinning you know..but yes. They're not easy and the casing of the location, knowing my target and so what they will look out for and what will embarrass them the most, ensuring there are no known allergies to anything I want to use to prevent it turning into a serious issue as opposed to just humiliation..not to mention the actual set up and working on the event is all very difficult. It's good practice though."

The conversation flowed easily at that point. Somehow, word spread likely through the gossip vine and their table soon held four other civilian's that one or both knew. Snacks were ordered and the food was shared with plenty of laughter and for just a little while Sakura forgot that Naruto was the person she liked least from the academy.

For the smallest bit they forgot they were ninja.

()()()()()()()

Of course, Anrui was aware of the fact that Naruto was out. Just because she herself had few resources did not mean she had none. Gai had blown in like a whirlwind to let her know before vanishing off, no doubt hiding his tracks so his team would be unaware he had even left. Anrui cracked a grin as her friend left leaves behind. So few expected him to be capable of anything beyond taijutsu that they tended to forget Gai had enough chakra to pull off most his feats, to summon, and it took so little to make clones. He had sworn her to secrecy though one of their escapades out as Ghost and Crane and she would not tattle on him.

It was still always a surprise though when suddenly she was hauled off the couch from where she had been reading by the shunshined figure suddenly _there_ and into a side hug. Gai knew better than to ever trap her in a full one when she didn't expect it, that instinctive resistance to being caged was all Inuzuka and Ikiryo both. The scent of sweat and loam with a tang of metal making her guard go down as there was an undeniable person who came with it and making her laugh. "Gai."

"My most wonderfully.." Gai paused and when he looked down Anrui smirked, shaking her head. No one else was there. Instantly the muscles relaxed and Gai's smile went from painfully large to a more genuinely happy expression. He was a very happy enthusiastic soul but that didn't mean he didn't love to overdo it just to harass others. "Well my dear friend it seems my eternal rival has been lucky enough to get your ward! I'm certain they'll learn much, though do be careful he doesn't pick up on the fact that my hip rival is _always many hours late_..."

A snort was his answer as much as the returned half hug in appreciation for the warning. "Oh if he even dares to start I'll be certain to ask for your help."

"I'd be happy to!" And there was the smile that most of Konoha feared but there was no genjutsu enhancement to it, Gai's eyes crinkled to mere slits and his arm went a little tighter. For all that another soft bark of laughter was his response Gai always was delighted that even when he was suffused with joy and energy he was as much Anrui's friend as when he was Crane and her trusted partner. Still as much as he would have delighted in her continued company, truly he needed another 'training' day when they could catch up, he did have a team to return to before they realized they had been trying to chase a clone for the past ten minutes.

"Running?" And there was her knowing smirk, mischief in her eyes that caught Gai out and made him chuckle. She knew, after all, he'd helped train her and no doubt kept up with it as much as she could. It was always nice to be appreciated, his students certainly didn't right now!

"Indeed. With their arms tied to them, I did not wish an accidental displacement of my clone if they could catch it!" A single blue eyebrow went up and Gai smiled again. "Well they have been training hard, it is possible."

Slowly Anrui drawled out. "Highly unlikely."

"Always possible with the effort and rambunctiousness of youth!" As there was only one arm free Gai half posed, he knew better than to try and get her to pose with him but it was worth the imperfect attempt to hear her snickering. Gai could count the people who didn't just groan and avoid him on one hand and didn't even need all of his fingers to do so.

"Well shoo, before you lose your youthfulness around this grumpy woman." Anrui swatted at him and Gai made a gasping sound of despair.

"No! I will have to ensure we have a day to properly re-youthful-ize you! YOSH!" And with that before he could become distracted and stay, Gai escaped back to his charges in a renewed good mood. It always perked up his spirits to visit his partner. As he timed it just so his clone had just gone out of his students sight when he appeared. Seeing their red and exhausted faces as they glared at him between gasps of air only made him more determined. "Wonderful! Now my students, we shall work on kicks! Seven hundred each leg! Off to the posts!"

While two of them groaned, at least Lee was throwing himself into it with enthusiasm. Gai had to admit, he rather liked being a sensei.

()()()()()()()()

Anrui wasn't surprised when later Ibiki came to collect her, obviously up to something else and hiding it, when he informed her of Naruto having Kakashi which would make him late. Doubtlessly the boy would go out for ramen afterwords and at least the stand he favored was cheap. When Anrui grinned at him, fangs visible the head of T&I merely rolled his eyes. He didn't want to know. The very fact she was so at ease told him it likely involved spandex and mind-melting speeches. Still, he requested her company while he ran a few errands with her. Of course, phrasing it in such a way that Anrui would be running the errands with him dragged along.

Apparently, something was up and far be it from her brother figure to ever say as much without several security measures in place. Anyways, she did need to pick up a few items but they could do that after a nice long walk.

It was Ibiki who snuck Anrui into the Hokage's office that afternoon. There was no reason for her to be going by and she couldn't hold a henge, so it was simple enough. He went out, they were talking, Ibiki had to get a file and as it was nothing that important, just blasted paperwork for things they already knew..she was able to follow.

Ibiki was a paranoid man but it went with the territory, and really in a village of ninja the odds someone was listening were vastly skewed towards 'almost assuredly.'

()()()()()()()()

I had no idea what was going on, of course. Generally that is just how things went and for someone who was of neither world you learned very quickly to shrug it off as often as you could. That the Hokage had not offered me a seat though was somewhat telling. Telling in the sense that he was going to be informing me of something I had no choice but to go along with, though he'd likely word it far more kindly.

"In light of the fact Naruto will be with his team for much of the day I would like you to begin training more seriously to play up being one of the Anbu." Hiruzen began. My throat became tight because this did not sound like it would be pleasant. Nor did I enjoy the obvious inflection I would not be training with Crane.

"Hokage?"

A slow draw on his pipe seemed to be purposefully plucking upon my nerves but still, my Hokage understood the question to my address. Sparing me the need to voice it.

"The Chunnin exams will be here soon in a few months. Not quite half a year, by that time we shall have many other villages and their ninja, and with those teams come jounin of their own. Your skills would prove very useful at that time, especially to gather information as much as to help keep an eye on the various tasks. Yuurei will be needed." He explained slowly, every word brought on a touch more of his killing intent, his overwhelming focus until I was on my knee, head bowed and hand on the ground. It was all I could do.

After all, I was one of his loyal citizens, caught between the worlds as I was. There was never any other answer that would come out from my lips.

"As you wish, Lord Third." It was a strange title but ingrained in my mind when so commanded. With my acquiescence, the pressure faded and once more Hiruzen was there instead of my leader. The sense of war and battlegrounds slipped back away from my instincts.

"Seeing as your ward will be trained by Kakashi, it seems only fitting you be trained by one other that was taught by him. It will help you in the future." Because for some reasons I would no doubt be trailing Naruto and his team if they entered the exams and it would help if I had a tie that Kakashi would question less. I could understand that.

"Yes, sir."

"I'll have documents made up so you have a reason to go to one of the hidden ANBU grounds, until then."

Ibiki walked out with me, a new folder under his arms and complaining the whole way back about Anko and her quirks so I would react genuinely and not stew over what I had been told. I was of course, not supposed to tell anyone. That was a given. But frankly, we both knew Inoichi would find out and I don't think for even a moment Ibiki doubted I'd rope Gai into finding more time to steal me away for training. In the mean time though...

"Naruto's going to need training in that new technique. Tricky, those." I mumbled and Ibiki smirked. He knew what I really meant.

"I'll work with him in a few days, I haven't the chakra to pull it off but I have some experience with that. You could do with a refresher." At my wince Ibiki chuckled. Indeed, he and Inoichi couldn't use my abilities but that had not stopped them from figuring them out and working with me until we had learned many ways to do so. If anything they would be able to help Naruto find a way for that 'Sticky Finger Jutsu' to become his own. I had very carefully not asked for details about it.

"We need to stop by the bakery."

"Celebrating?"

"Ino will be with her father..will you come by?" Ino of course would have the massive Ino-Shika-Cho party that was traditional and Ibiki gave me a look as though I was being the daft one.

"You're not getting anything with orange icing." He stated shrewdly and that was enough of a yes.

()()()()()()()()

The next morning Naruto was up early, still a little full from the copious amounts of cake he'd eaten after a very filling late lunch-dinner thing with Sakura. Overall he felt he'd made some headway with Sakura, now he just had to figure out the teme. While Ibiki had sternly reminded him not to use his new jutsu unless it was a genuine emergency as he had promised the Hokage, he'd also gone over the basics of it with him to help clarify questions the young ninja had.

For the most part though, it had been an excuse to brag about his fellow teammates and their teams, explain meeting his teacher, and go over the conversations with Sakura. As both Anrui and Ibiki had been pleased with how he handled things it had only cemented in Naruto's mind that he would need to be careful to continue not taking anything at face value. He had really enjoyed watching his family twitch when he explained that Sakura thought complex numbers were a great relaxing pastime. Not a one of them could understand her attitude but at least Naruto was not alone in his bafflement.

"Nrrhn?" Came a sound and from the couch, he could see the limp form of Anrui trying to get through her tea, not a morning person. Especially not this early, but clearly she wanted to see him off and had made an effort.

"Morning." He responded softly, settling across from her with his own tea. Anrui's hair was hilarious after she slept, ending up all over in snarls and sticking up like an electrocuted lion. Bleary eyes met his own and then after a few slow blinks, she finally spoke.

"Breakfast?"

"Not supposed to." He answered, wishing to listen to his sensei. Surely he had a reason for his commands. Anrui nodded, accepting that after all obeying ones superior was important. Sometimes you thought you knew better but you still shouldn't go against orders unless you knew for a fact that a choice was the preferred one. Even then, it was frowned on. "I saw the lunch. Thanks."

"Check it. Ibiki packed it before he left."

Naruto shuddered at the idea. Surprisingly Ibiki could be a good cook, then again it was harder to detect whatever he slipped inside your food if it tasted good, to begin with. "Will do. Maybe I'll just give some to the Teme.."

A familiar bark of laughter made Naruto grin before he went to get the said bento, leaving his cup in the sink. A stolen quick cuddle into Anrui's side and he was out the door before her decaffeinated brain could process she'd been hugged. Today was off to a good start!

()()()()()()()()

Their sensei was nowhere to be found. Sakura wouldn't stop sighing and making eyes at Sasuke who was prissier than ever it seemed and Naruto was bored. Today sucked.


	17. Passing the bell test

AN: Updated two days ago in case you missed that chapter. Carapace is next.

()()()()()()()()

As morning slowly transitioned to near afternoon with a slow crawl of the sun over the sky it seemed to sap more energy for the waiting new team 7. Sasuke had taken to leaning on different trees, stretching his legs at times to go from one to another with an ever present scowl to discourage conversation. In light of that, perhaps even with the conversation yesterday so fresh in her mind, Sakura only spent two hours fawning over him and gushing with little squeals as fantasies played in her mind. After even that grew dull for the pinkette she started to talk with Naruto about classes. Ones that the Uchiha found himself baffled over. Why would anyone care about interest compounding? What even was that?

Naruto on the other hand, was happy to wave his hands and try to explain his awkward half reasoning to the decision to avoid the shinobi banks in the future. "At least yanno, most of my paycheck. I want some liquid and available yeah, but it is gonna just sit there and ..brood..like a broody teme.." Naruto grinned all teeth at Sakura who wasn't facing Sasuke and so felt safe hiding her awkward smile. The mental image of Sasuke sitting in a bank safe was a funny one.

"It's a good idea, Naruto." She nodded once, tapping her lips. "My parents insisted I keep mine out of the shinobi accounts too, keeping a savings and a general account both with the civilian bank. Though when I looked into it the shinobi one is much better about if you overdraw with say a weapons supplier or need to use credit to restock in another village."

"Really?" Naruto furrowed his brows and crossed his arms. "That could come in handy. I don't want to carry all my cash on me. How do they know it's you and not an imposter?"

"Ah, I don't know. I haven't gone to set one up yet. It's a good question!" Sakura could admit she was relieved to see more than just their overly loud prankster of a teammate was coming out. He was a very different creature, one that even if she didn't agree on many things -most of those surrounding a certain Uchiha- that there were far more she could. Nor did she feel so much the odd one out, but in her mind she kept thinking of Naruto as having gotten a good walloping by Ino and thus safe. If Sakura was good at anything, it was assuredly denial of inconvenient facts. Because otherwise she had to confront that she'd been being a bully to someone who probably understood her and could talk to her more than any of her other non civilian raised classmates.

"You are making your thinking face, Sa-ku-ra." Naruto teased out. Oh he still had a crush on her, he couldn't help _that_ but Ino had taught him the joys of being friends with a girl and for now that was the goal he had. He wanted to be Sakura's friend, after that he could try and convince her he was a better choice. Actually scratch that, first he had to become her friend and get her and Ino to patch up _their_ friendship and then convince the two girls that Sasuke was not as cool as they thought and then he could look at impressing her. He had time though, it wasn't as if he wanted to endure Ibiki giving him 'the talk' again and Ibiki had promised to do so _daily_ if Naruto tried to date anyone before he was fifteen. Yikes. And Anrui-Nee-san had been zero help. She'd just smirked at him and said _"Suffer. Suffer as I have suffered!"_ Then again he'd pummel anyone who tried to date Ino before she was twenty unless they treated her precisely as good as he felt they should and didn't have the first name Sasuke so he could understand where his uncles had been coming from.

"Ah I was just thinking that if I'd known you were really um, like this..you.." Sakura was not a good person, her inner was proof of that, she was selfish but she'd learned the hard way that if you weren't people bullied and walked all over you. Still, seeing she'd become that very thing was a bitter pill that had kept her up most the night. She had still screeched at Naruto a few times, and gone to hit him once today, but she was trying. "Some of the other kids from civilian families would like you. We should.."

"Hang out sometime?" Naruto prompted as he guessed where she was going. "Sounds fun. Not too often though, I have to keep in touch with my friends who didn't become ninja. I don't want them to think they lost me."

That made Sakura think of her family..and how they'd seemed sad just for a moment when she'd burst in with her headband before they helped her celebrate. "You think they..?"

Naruto huffed and nodded before speaking in a low tone so that Sasuke couldn't overhear and mock him as he'd done a few times that morning. "Don't forget the people who were there for you before you became a kunoichi, Sakura. It isn't fair to them."

Biting her lip Sakura had to agree. She'd make the effort.

Their sensei eventually showed up and from there the morning was rapidly descending into chaos. After traumatically informing them they may not pass and had a new objective -which Naruto couldn't help but think was fishy. Very fishy. Two day old bad sushi outside the dumpster kind of fishy. Because the incompetence of some teams out there were the stuff of his uncles collective rants for years now- still they had attacked in their own ways. As Naruto was tossed aside yet again he lamented not having learned the Shadow Clone technique, why couldn't he either of read that one first or have jiji let him use the forbidden technique he _had_ learned? It would have ended this test in a snap!

The urge tingled along his fingers but he had promised the Hokage and would not break his word. Lies smelled terribly and he would not begin to use them now. It was frustrating though because most of the skills he was so marvelous in were clearly not of any use in this clumsy brawling they were working on. If he'd thought they'd have a test like this he'd have trapped the place and brought his poisons! He was never leaving without at least four again.

Even worse, one by one they were obliterated in each of the main jutsu's. Mercilessly. Taijutsu had Sakura gasping from a single hit, whereas her male teammates lasted longer it was Sasuke in the end who did the best at first. Not a one came near to the bells, nor even landed well with how sharply they were deflected. The genjutsu had been trouble. Sakura passed out, form still trembling revealed that it had been some new horror she could not handle. Like himself no doubt she had been unable to dispel it. Naruto had imagined he left to tell his family of passing, and not a one of his family or friends could see him. He'd been forgotten. In the end the pain from screaming and hitting the ground with his fists had broken the spell, but it had kept deep scratches on his mental health that he would need to deal with later. At least he had Yamanaka's he could turn to.

If Sasuke had likewise suffered he did not know, Naruto had snapped out of it to a missing teammate and one unconscious.

For all he was furious and wished to take it out on either of the spiked haired menaces be it black or silver in hue he did not particularly care at that moment; Naruto knew his first duty was to his helpless teammate.

"Hey, Sakura? Sakura..wake up. I doubt we're safe." Naruto trailed off sensing a sudden spike in Killing Intent.

"Oh. You _aren't._ "

()()()()()()()()()

Kakashi had to admit, the brats were..not quite as atrociously hopelessly terribly useless and pathetic as he had expected. They may have been even worse. To this point it was only that they had obeyed his instructions and had a tenacity he could almost approve of that was keeping him from just knocking them out until the bell rang. Still, he only had another ten minutes of humoring them and then he could shove them onto someone else. The Uchiha no doubt would be apprenticed to someone for a time it wasn't as if Kakashi could truly teach him much. The sharingan he had tended to do it's own thing more than be controlled but he kept that a secret, even from his Hokage.

Sakura -civilian born and raised- had a good mind for a paper pushing ninja but she was a waste to even attempt for the field. Really he was doing them a favor.

The less he could even _think_ about the little blonde haired boy that he had looked over from a distance for years now, the better. If possible he wanted to insist that Naruto be kept only a civilian. Far from the front lines and dangers, from those who may learn of his heritage and hurt him.

Yes. Failing this team would be for the best.

The ten minutes, and equal number of pages in his book, passed easily. Since she had done the least he chose to tie up Sakura, drive home that the world of ninja out on the battlefields was not for her and perhaps in his cruelty spare another young girl a fate like Rin had. Ensuring he seemed properly terrifying he warned them all not to let Sakura eat lunch, and then hid himself away to watch. He may as well witness their failure after all. He'd done so to every team he'd refused to pass before.

()()()()()()()()

Naruto snarled and looked at the bentos before nodding. Quickly he inhaled one but didn't touch the easier to use items, he also ignored both of his teammates complaining about his awful manners as he scooped up rice and smaller items with his hands, ignoring the chopsticks. Once he'd done that to two bentos, including one that had been meant for Sakura and doing his best to ignore her screeching he finally snapped open the chopsticks, wiped his messy hand on his pants and stood, balancing the two bentos with the rolls and easily eaten items. "Eat." He said sternly, holding a bite out for the suddenly quiet Sakura.

"Dobe."

Naruto ignored Sasuke. "Eat Sakura. We get another chance after the bell or not, you're a civilian girl. Heck girls always have smaller reserves I know that much and you're not used to missing a meal I bet. You need the energy. Eat up." Naruto firmly bit the inside of his cheek to keep from blushing, it was part of why he hadn't used the chopsticks, not a chance she'd risk an 'indirect kiss' if he had when eating himself.

"N..naruto.."

"Do it." Sasuke agreed before redoubling the speed he was eating his own meal. With the encouragement of the second one Sakura looked back at Naruto. The blonde shifted slightly to block Sasuke's view of her, guessing anyone who could belch haiku's could eat _fast_ but not neatly at the same time. Grinning a little to encourage her he was highly amused to see Sakura could indeed eat as quickly as he could prepare the next bite. They'd gotten halfway through a bento before that looming presence was there.

"Sasuke watch my back!" Naruto snapped out, hoping he'd do as asked and kept feeding Sakura. Sakura choked another bite down before his hand was wrenched away and the blonde was dangling from a glaring Kakashi's hand. So much for Sasuke helping out. Sheeeesh.

"I believe I told you not to feed her."

"Yeah and this is one order from a superior I'm challenging in light of her limited chakra, lack of experience with skipping meals, completely shitty preparation of what we were up to today because this was not a survival mission, sensei, and since you told us not to give her any lunch."

"Which you did." Kakashi said blandly only to be met with a fox grin that was rather frightening for the sharp blue eyes, eyes he remembered on another blonde when a plan snapped together.

"Technically, Kakashi-sensei...it's breakfast."

"Because we didn't eat breakfast." Sasuke mumbled sounding grudging in his agreement even as Sakura looked stunned.

"So? If Sakura can compete better in getting the bells then it just leaves you worse off." Kakashi countered.

"Maa maa.." Naruto didn't seem phased even with his hand still holding the chopsticks going numb as he dangled. "You shouldn't underestimate us Sensei. If not for the fact I wouldn't ever disobey jiji when I promised to be good we'd have won right off the start and I woulda kicked Sasuke out, not Sakura."

"Dobe. As if you could."

Kakashi though was curious and set Naruto down, arms crossed, and still wary of them attempting anything. "And why is that? Sasuke did perform better than either of you."

"Because this all played up to his strengths, sure." Sakura joined in with a glare, she was not amused at being tied up for this. "But it doesn't make sense. There aren't two man teams."

"There are apprentices." Sasuke sneered and Naruto sighed.

"Yeah, and that's why I'd kick you out. Plenty of people would snatch you up for the bragging rights so I don't need to worry about you. Sakura and I? We're nobodies as far as those people are concerned." Naruto crossed his own arms and frowned. "Besides you don't seem to want anything to do with us. You avoided us yesterday and you're doing so this morning proved you don't want a team."

"I don't need one."

Kakashi found himself stumped. Oh he hadn't wanted his team either, certainly not the ones he'd had but it seemed at least two members of this team could consider working together. Nor was it the two he'd expected. And as he'd already said only two would pass he couldn't outright fail them by saying it was because they didn't all work together!

It seemed he'd have to hope he could pull off what Minato had, and he grimaced at the thought.

"You are certain you and Sakura could be a team, Naruto?"

"With some work? Yeah. Sasuke could if he'd pull his head outa his.."

"We could." Sakura cut him off, not wanting to see her chance at a team vanish. Besides, Naruto was right, anyone would take Sasuke. She watched as Kakashi sighed heavily.

"Sasuke if you are not on a team you will not be apprenticed."

"What!?" It was the loudest outburst since the kiss anyone had ever heard from the startled Uchiha. Kakashi had to admit it entertained him so he felt much more even footed again.

"The only one who would qualify would be myself and clearly I'll be busy with a team. A pity, but since you don't want a team.."

The humor in his one eye wasn't visible to them as he watched Sasuke glare at the other two before he crossed his arms. "...They'll drag me behind in my progress."

"Hm. Naruto figured out we just had breakfast." Sakura pointed out, startled she was even arguing with her crush but it had felt good to have Naruto stand up for her. Like another Ino. Sasuke had cost her a friend once, she didn't want to do that again. Besides, she could convince him she was the better choice later on. Sasuke's glare was terrifying and she looked away but Kakashi sighed.

"A good point Sakura. Well...I suppose I'll have to pass you and Naruto then.."

Naruto finally felt the Inuzuka raised side of him build up as his eyebrow twitched in annoyance. He'd channeled his uncles enough, time for some Anrui-nee type bluntness. "Oh just decide we can be your team for Now Sasuke so he stops trolling us. I need to pee."

"...wrong timing Naruto.." Sakura groaned.

They passed.


End file.
